Equilibrium
by Jaganashi
Summary: Don't think that I've come to you with a tale meant to stir emotions or reflect the mysteries of the universe. This isn't a story about love or fate or hope. It does however, touch on Utroms, theives, and mercinaries.
1. Prologue

Rated 'M' for violence, language, sexual content and a plethora of potentially offensive material. While there will be no NC-17 scenes, we may come dangerously close.

Disclaimer: Quite obviously, I own nothing that has it's own string of merchandise. All familiar characters belong to someone else and I am in no way making any profit. Except reviews. I turn those in for food stamps.

Author's Notes: Any author's notes will be labeled as such preceding the actual chapter. Do not confuse narration for author's notes.

**Equilibrium**

-Prologue-

He fell next to her on the mattress, a shuddering sigh escaping him. She rolled to him, still caught in the after-effects; a lazy smile on her lips.

"Wow…"

A well-toned arm wiped the sweat from his brow, absently knocking his discarded bandana from the end table. Neither took notice as the purple material fell to the carpet- their minds were on something else. She slowly looked for the words.

"I've never…that was…damn…"

A pause and a masculine smirk. She rested her head on his shoulder and sighed. "I can feel your ego start to inflate."

He gave a low chuckle. "That's not my ego."

**X **

I'm getting ahead of myself; the middle isn't the best place to start a tale…as entertaining as this particular segment may be. Don't think that I've come to you with a tale meant to stir emotions or reflect the mysteries of the universe. This isn't a story about love or fate or hope. This is a story about life.

Unless, of course, you believe in those things.

…

Do you?


	2. Of Hammocks and Darts

Rated 'M' for violence, language, sexual content and a plethora of potentially offensive material including but not limited to drug use, underage drinking, and possible mild references to rape.

Disclaimer: Don't own 'em, but one day...

**Equilibrium: Chapter one**

-Of Hammocks and Darts-

"Too slow, Raphie-boy!"

The turtle in orange landed in a crouch on the roof of an old brownstone building. Standing swiftly, he posed with his hands on his hips. "You couldn't catch a cold in the rain!"

At that, his pursuer dropped off of the nearby building and disappeared from sight, leaving one nervous looking Michaelangelo to scan all potential structures and shadows. Naturally, he couldn't let his red-wearing brother best him at an exercise game, but there was so much more at stake- like his shell. Lately Raph has been doing a surprisingly exceptional job of keeping his temper in check. Okay, so maybe his temper is still the same...only Mike has fewer bruises to show for it. Take for example, the last incident; someone _might_ have snuck into Raph's room, and they _might_ have wound a certain turtle's hammock after watching too many late night reruns of Gilligan's Island. And it _might_- no, it _was_- hilarious when one could hear the rock music turn off, the punching back settle, and a loud THUNK followed by a string of curses involving censored body parts, multi-meaning verbs, and one comic-reading turtle. Said turtle could be found feigning sleep at the time...and doing a bad job of it. It's hard to pull off deep slumber when you're laughing so much the bed shakes.

So what if he's taking advantage of this strange, whap-less era? One short-tempered turtle can't get too mad over a few practical jokes. Was Raphael just waiting for the perfect opportunity to combine all his aggravation into one brotherly ass kicking?

Something moved in the alley to his left, so he darted to the right, amazed at the other's clumsiness. Reaching the edge, Mike leapt the span of another alley to land on a far fire escape ladder, grabbed the railing, and flipped up to the roof of a newer apartment building. After sprinting the length of that one, he used a telephone pole to swing down onto an old storage unit. Wanting to throw his would-be challenger off, he doubled back a few steps to jump off the south side, used a neighboring ledge to propel himself through the air, and landed on yet another apartment building. He then ducked behind a fire-escape entrance that was placed in the middle of the roof. This provided him with a moment to catch his breath, to remain in the shadows, and to listen for his brother to make another mistake. Confident in the knowledge that poor Raph was lost to his location, he decided to be generous and give him a break.

"C'mon, just admit that I'm the ultimate champion of ninja-tag, and I mi-"

Mike found himself with a face full of concrete as he was shoved roughly to the ground. Three feet away, where he was standing just a split second before, was a small dart embedded into the fire escape door. Raphael was standing over him, poised, a single sai gripped in his left hand and his eyes locked straight ahead. Just as Mike registered the fact that the other sai must have been thrown, a cry was yelled out from the darkness of the next building.

The turtle in red was already leaping toward the sound by the time Mike was back on his feet. With a final glance at the dart, he followed his brother to the next roof. There's no shame in admitting that the sight made the youngest turtle stop cold in his tracks.

They had killed before- it's all part of being a ninja. Awesome disappearing tricks, kick-ass combat moves...and life or death situations that can leave a teenage mind scarred. This was one of those situations: a man lay on the roof, the long end of the sai embedded in his left eye and protruding from the back of the skull. If he saw it coming, he didn't have time to blink. The short prongs were about an inch into his forehead and another through his left cheek.

It's safe to say that such a sight still bothered the jovial teen; but what bothered him more was his brother's reaction. Or lack thereof. With a grunt, Raph pulled the weapon from the man's head and didn't even flinch at the wet smacking sound as the lifeless skull fell back to the roof's floor. He then used the man's sweater to clean off the blood and thicker things.

Wanting to focus on anything but what the 'thicker things' used to be, or his brother's apathetic expression, Mike noticed the gun that was still on its stand, pointed to the fire escape door he had previously occupied. Though none of them were too familiar with the make and model of guns- it was a dishonorable and cowardly weapon- it reminded the turtle of the type of rifle he saw in sniper movies.

There was also a pair of obviously expensive binoculars, a canteen, and four more little red-tipped darts. He nearly started when his brother broke the silence. "We should probably take one of 'em back to Don. He can tell us if this scumbag wanted to knock us out or take us out." At the mention of the attempted attacker, Mike looked back at his face- or what remained of it. His nausea must have been visible because a three fingered hand found its way to his shoulder.

"It's a 'right Mikey. It was him or you."

He swallowed dryly and turned to follow his brother back to their sewer home.

"Good choice."


	3. Transitional Relevance

Author's notes: Thank you to my only reviewer, Arty Kidd- you're the reason I updated as quickly as I did. I've been considering back-burnering this fic. Also, a reminder- the narrator is a character, not an author's note.

Rated 'M' for violence, language, sexual content and a plethora of potentially offensive material including but not limited to drug use, underage drinking, and possible mild references to rape.

Disclaimer: They're still not mine, but I can pretend.

**Equilibrium**

-Transitional relevance-

The scent of sandalwood drifted throughout the room; soft, subtle, and relaxing. Smoke rose from the ember of an incense stick, curling and tumbling upward. Unable to fight gravity any longer, a gray clump of ash fell onto the ornate wooden tray- unseen by the room's occupant.

Leonardo sat unmoving in the lotus position, his eyes closed and his breathing shallow but steady. His mind was a mess of thought, like static noise. It began to rain in his mind, washing away the trivial daily nuisances. The clearing of his thought felt true to a rainstorm, cleansing and refreshing. Through the repetitiveness of this particular meditation, the more important issues sounded through his mind with magnified clarity.

A new threat…danger from yet another direction…the unfamiliar danger is often the most threatening…thinking in circles…the attacker was neutralized…could be an isolated incident…too prepared for chance…

"I've got it!"

Leonardo opened his eyes at the sound of Donatello's voice. Apparently he had come to a conclusion in regards to the dart his brothers brought back with them. Mike and Raph were already gathered by the makeshift lab when Leo walked out. Raph asked, "So what's the diagnosis? If bonehead here had gotten himself pricked, would he have been knocked out for a few days?"

"He'd be out all right…but he would not be waking up."

The silence stretched for a few moments, then Leo uttered a single word: "Poison."

"I'm afraid so. Unfortunately, It's not like I have many samples to compare it to; I haven't been able to identify the poison by name. It is, however, rather potent. The effects would be immediate and with the absence of an antidote, we're looking at a twenty to thirty minute life expectancy."

Leo spoke, "Just what we need: someone else who wants our lives for some unknown reason." Raph gritted his teeth. "The bastard's dead now. I put a sai through his head- he's not a threat anymore." Mike's voice was unusually serious, "That's what bothers me…"

He was interrupted. "Look, what happened-" Mike cut him off, "That's not what I meant, Raph. You saw him; he died instantly. The guy didn't even know what hit him." Receiving only blank stares, he continued. "So who screamed?"

Realization broke upon the turtles like a wave.

"There was somebody else up there," Leo stated. Raph brushed it off. "They sure as hell left the scene pretty quick." Leonardo folded his arms over his chest, just emanating authorative energy. Everyone could guess at what was coming.

"This could have been premeditated, or just a case of being at the wrong place at the wrong time. Either way, there's someone in the city who has access to some professional grade equipment and knows how to target us. It doesn't help that we killed their partner. For the next few days we should limit our above ground activities to our nightly patrols, which we'll be doing in pairs. No unnecessary outside contact. That means April and Casey- we don't want them to be targeted."

The turtle in red rolled his eyes. "Sheesh, Leo. Some loony with a gun was on a roof we happened to pass, so now we're on lockdown? It's New York. There's crazies with guns everywhere."

The other's stance didn't budge an inch. "Exactly Raph- all the more reason to be cautious. We're supposed to be exercising stealth as it is. We're just stepping it up."

Any further argument was nipped when Donatello gave a sigh. "I don't suppose the museum is part of our patrol." That's when it hit Leo that he had promised his brother that it wouldn't hurt to sneak into some exhibit after-hours. "How long is it in town for?"

The orange-banded brother was lost, "What's in town?"

Don shuffled through an array of loose papers looking for the article he salvaged from the newspaper. "There's a Mayan exhibit showing this week. It's on loan from the Metropolitan Museum of Art until Friday. Today being Wednesday, tomorrow is my last chance to see it- there's no telling if they'll start packing it up Friday or not. Usually, modern sciences interest me more than anthropology, but I've been reading some fascinating material lately about the Mayan star-gazing and their calendar. There are a number of theories related to a Mayan end-date, ranging from the chaos theory to more radical ideas of a spatial equator." He paused, trying to suppress his enthusiasm. "It would be great stealth training in the area of infiltration."

If his slightly rushed speech was any indication, this was something their brother had really been looking forward to. Six eyes were turned to Leo, and under normal circumstances he wouldn't buckle under such pressure; however, with the still-hopeful look he was receiving from one turtle in particular…

"All right Don. But we're all going, just to be safe."

Mike and Raph exchanged looks. It was great that one of them was able to wrestle an exception out of stone-cold Leonardo, but a museum exhibit about some culture that's been dead for hundreds of years? An evening at home would be more exciting. Hell, a triathlon for people with narcolepsy would be more entertaining.

**X**

Now before you ask me what this has to do with anything, we're about to gain some relevance to the story. Something more familiar to the reason we're gathered here…


	4. A Thief's Word

Rated 'M' for violence, language, sexual content and a plethora of potentially offensive material including but not limited to drug use and underage drinking.

Disclaimer: I still don't own them. They're much too clever to fall into one of my traps, cursed!

Authors Notes: I'd like to thank Reinbeauchaser for the helpful hints when it comes to writing dialogue. I appreciate everyone's reviews; they're the reason that I'm typing this up during my precious sleep time before work. Ta da, a longer chapter.

**Equilibrium**

-A Thief's Word-

A street lamp flickered, trying desperately to fight the darkness. An old newspaper was blown into a gutter, causing a wild-eyed rat to scamper across the alley. A storm was coming- clouds were already moving into position like soldiers on a war front. The wind was picking up, sending cups, papers, and other abandoned refuse to tumble about frantically. The scent of oncoming rain would be palpable if it weren't for the overpowering stench of urine and neglect.

A high-power scope was expertly secured to a top of the line automatic. A twist, and the infrared was activated.

With an ominous "blink," the street lamp ended its long and unappreciated life, throwing the alley into blindness. A familiar scampering was heard, followed by a resounding shot, a squeal, then silence.

A storm was coming.

**X**

"Would you two hurry up?"

Donatello bound ahead of his brothers, his bag clutched dearly to his chest and his eyes filled with the innocent joy of a seven year old on his way to the Christmas parade. Leonardo stayed a rooftop away to his right, and the other two were lagging behind.

"Did ya hear that, Mikey? This stuff has been sittin' around for a hundred years, collecting dust, but it won't last twenty more minutes." Mike chuckled while keeping a steady pace beside his red-wearing brother. Don ignored the sarcasm and instead, corrected his misinformed brother with enthusiasm.

"Actually, the entire exhibit predates a thousand years."

Raph snorted. "In that case, we'd better step on it."

Leo hid his smile by diligently scanning the buildings to his right. He didn't want Don to think that he was being laughed at, and the last thing Raph needed was encouragement.. Michaelangelo, not one to be left out on verbal banter, somersaulted to the next rooftop and commented, "It's not that we don't appreciate the exercise…" He ducked as Raph leapt over him to gain a better vaulting point. "It's just that we could really go for a hockey game or something. You know, an event that has something to do with this century." He grabbed a nearby rail and propelled himself forward, nearly knocking Raphael over in the process.

Leonardo motioned toward an industrial park, suggesting that a shortcut was in order. Don quickly complied, heading for the large flat roofs. He decided to enlighten his brothers along the way. "Even a thousand years ago, this so-called primitive civilization was mapping out the universe. Stars, planets, and orbits- even today, their projection of the moon's orbit around the earth is only off by nine seconds. Accuracy that withstands the test of time."

He flipped onto a fire escape railing, then pulled himself over the roof's ledge to sprint alongside his brother in blue. Feeling that his point had been missed entirely, he called back to his less enthusiastic brothers, "It doesn't matter how long ago something was discovered, it can still have relevance to the present day."

Lightning flashed and thunder crashed overhead, promising heavy rain. Michaelangelo let out a moan whereas Raph was pleased by the prospect of a good thunderstorm. The latter said a little too pleasantly, "Here comes the rain…"

Mike piped up in an off-key tune, "…Falling on my head like a memory."

He tensed, waiting for the whack that was sure to come from a particular turtle in red. To his surprise, it never came; everyone just groaned at the 80's reference. Leo was about to comment on his brother's not so bright singing career when movement caught his eye. Someone was on the roof of a large gray building on the other side of the industrial park.

The others had seen it as well. Leo asked, "Is that the museum?"

Don nodded and Mike pointed out, "Someone else must have stolen our idea. And here I thought that we were V.I.P."

Leo peered across the 100-yard distance. "Who wants to bet that they're doing more than looking?"

Raph twirled his sai casually and smirked. "Maybe this'll be fun after all."

Lightening streaked across the sky, illuminating four figures as they made their way quickly through the park. They were, however, unnoticed by their sighted target.

A woman in her early twenties had just secured the window from which she had entered and exited. Dressed neck to toe in black, she checked the perimeter of the building before choosing a ledge. Readjusting her bag so that it was secure on her back, she carefully made her descent to the ground.

"That 's one way to avoid an admission fee."

No sooner than her feet touched the ground, did a voice from the dark startle her. Scanning the area, she could guess at the direction from which the voice came, but she couldn't distinguish any figures from the shadows.

"And it looks like she's got some souvenirs."

At the sound of a different voice, she whirled around to face…darkness still. They were keeping their distance and she was becoming more certain that these weren't security guards.

"That's funny. I'm sure the gift shop's closed at this hour."

The humor in their voices kept her from feeling overly threatened, but this third voice sounded closer. She still couldn't see anyone. She raised her right arm slowly to her back, over her shoulder to pull free the double-bladed sword…

"Uh, uh, uh. I wouldn't do that if I were you."

As if this last voice wasn't intimidating enough, she caught a glimpse of some kind of reflective metal. Though she couldn't make out what it was, the message was clear enough. She was surrounded by four, if not more, armed men who she couldn't see, but could see her. She lowered her arm slowly to her side, leaving the weapon in its scabbard.

"Smart girl."

It was the last voice again, and she detected a hint of arrogance. What happened to the other voices that were making jokes?

"I think that you'd better return what you have to the authorities."

There was the first one again. She spoke to the shadows, knowing that they would hear. "You're right." She started off in a direction that she hadn't heard a voice from. "The police station's this way, right?"

Someone moved in front of her, and she could barely make out a few features…

"Is that a shell?"

As she was preoccupied trying to get a better look at Michaelangelo, Raph crept up behind her with the intention of knocking her unconscious. Maybe a lump on her head would keep her from taking things that don't belong to her. He stopped, however, when she continued to speak.

"You've got bigger balls than I do, to be running around in the open with such a price on your heads. And here I thought turtles were cautious creatures."

Mike was about to make a balls comment, but Leo was quicker. "What do you mean by price? Are you referring to a professional hit?"

Raph shook his head at Leo's inquiries. How many enemies did they have? It shouldn't surprise any of them if there were a couple of hired professionals involved; it's the life of a ninja. A thousand, or even five thousand dollar hit was just another night in New York.

The girl adjusted the tie that was keeping the long brown mess of hair up and secured. It was an obvious nervous gesture- there's a reason behind the saying, "shoot the messenger." Or was it, "don't."

"Unless there's a different set of four, five-foot-tall turtles running around, yes, there's a hit out for you. Two hundred and fifty thousand a head."

Silence stretched as the number sank in. "A million dollars for the four of us…that's bound to attract some attention."

She could finally make out the one speaking; he had what appeared to be two katana strapped to his shell and a blue mask around his eyes. She noticed that Blue, and the first one, Orange, were both staring intently at her. She took a step back toward the museum's wall. "I'm no mercenary. Just out for a casual Thursday night heist."

"That reminds me, you were about to hand over the bag."

The one that she previously noted as arrogant stepped into view, and she saw what had glinted earlier: a pair of sai.

"Actually, I was hoping to make a deal."

The one in blue arched his eye ridge expectantly, and the sai-man folded his arms over his chest in a 'like I care' pose. She continued, "I happened to have passed by a sniper on my way here. I could give you his location if you drop this citizen patrol thing."

She could make out all four of them now, and two of them were looking to Blue for a decision. After some thought, he spoke. "I think that could be arranged."

"He's set up at the brownstone, about three buildings that way, "she pointed in the direction. "When I passed, he was set up in a north window."

Raph nodded to the girl. "And how do we know that she's not making this up to get us off her back?"

Leo stated firmly, "We don't. That's why Don's staying here. If this guy is where she says he is, then we shouldn't have any problems, with the three of us. If he's not, then Don's here."

Two minutes later, the three of them had disappeared, leaving the thief under Don's supervision. Babysitter slash backup. He wasn't pleased.

After five minutes of silence, she sat down, her back to the wall, and fished around in her pocket. Finding what she was looking for, she pulled it out and placed it between her lips. Finding a lighter to go with it, she cupped her hands around the end, lit it, and inhaled.

"That stuff kills your brain cells."

She leaned her head back against the wall and looked at the turtle. "It's been an...interesting night Don." She paused. "I'm Kine." She held the joint out to Donatello, who looked at it in disgust.

"You're kidding, right? I'd rather not lower myself to the level of stupidity in which I opt to kill my own brain cells."

She took another drag and closed her eyes. She replied dryly, "I'll pretend that that wasn't an insult."

He was about to say something else, but was cut short by the sound of multiple gunshots. The turtle jumped and sprinted toward the sound. His brothers' safety was more important than babysitting.

As if on cue, the rain that had been threatening all night finally decided to fall, pelting the speeding turtle. He was confident in his brothers' abilities, but you can never stop worrying when it's your family in danger. Gunshots were never a good sign- images of his family raced through his mind, each one more gruesome than the last.

It took three agonizing minutes to find their location. When he did however, he realized that there was no need. A man lay slumped over a rifle by the window, a deep chest would implying that he died within seconds. The shots must have come unexpected from the doorway, where a blonde woman was sprawled. The blunt trauma to the head was most likely caused by a pair of nunchukus. It looked as if his brothers took care of the sniper first, but didn't know about his partner with the handgun.

"You're late for the party, Don."

Raph was leaning casually against the wall as Leo cleaned off his sword. Relieved that his brothers were all in one piece, Donatello let out a sigh.

"Hey guys," Mike held up a piece of paper. "I guess this makes us America's Most Wanted."

The sheet had only a simple math problem:

250,000 x 4 1,000,000


	5. Mozeka

Author's Notes: A few important ones. For those of you keeping track with the seasons, this occurs between seasons three and four; therefore everything past season three is no longer existent. It has become fanfiction…as opposed to the canon fiction it was before. Also, not everything you read here about the Mayans are based on fact- though much of it is. Finally, a reminder that the narrator is not an outlet for the author's voice- hopefully this chapter will offer better clarification.

Rated 'M' for violence, language, sexual content, and a plethora of offensive material including but not limited to drug use and underage drinking.

Disclaimer: The traps have yet to catch anything, so the TMNT characters still belong to someone else. Do you think I would be eating seven-cent ramen noodles while typing if I were making ay money off of this?

**Equilibrium**

-Mozeka-

Cold. Darkness.

The perfect breeding ground for hatred.

In the absence of light and in the void of warmth, evil shall thrive, and spread, and find a way.

Evil was pissed.

**X**

"I'm pissed."

Raphael's eyes swept around the lair and he noticed no one stopping what they were doing to look up in utter disbelief. Leonardo was sitting on the couch with a cup of green tea as he half-heartedly watched Mike, who was currently reprimanding Mario for falling into a bottomless pit. Donatello was typing away furiously at the computer, and all seemed right with the world.

"This is Bullshit."

No one seemed to rise to the bait; they were all comfortably settled in for an undetermined length of time. They had contacted April and Casey last night after the incident, and it was agreed that they would keep their distance until further notice. So here they were, four teenage turtles barricaded in their own home, prepared for the proverbial long winter.

Well, Raph wasn't a hibernating type of turtle.

"Some fucking coward is afraid to face us himself, so he's throwing money at it."

Leonardo gave an inaudible sigh. Aside form being the most logical safety precaution, he thought that lying low for a while would be good for them. For ninjas, shadow warriors who live a life of secrecy, they had been operating in the open a lot lately. Purple Dragons, common street punks, an entire clan of ninja, Stockman, Bishop, random maniacs, garbage men, a number of thieves, and now every mercenary with basic math skills knew of their existence. A few lessons in restraint, patience, and invisibility were in order.

He expected it to be difficult; after years of a sheltered home life, they had been suddenly exposed to the surface world. Humans, friends, hockey games, battles, adrenaline rushes, adventure…

Leo suspected that Mike and Don welcomed the reprieve with open arms, catching up on their games, research…and writing off their hotheaded brother as just that. Perhaps Leo understood Raph more than anyone suspects: danger was indeed intoxicating. When you're matching strength and skill against an opponent, pushing yourself further than you've ever been, adrenaline rushing through your veins, proving your superiority…

But there were more important things in life: like his family's safety. No thrill was worth endangering his brothers, friends, or sensei.

He expected to become restless. He expected Raphael to become edgy. But here, it had been one day into the retreat, and the sai wielding turtle was already looking for an avenue to let off some steam.

Leo glanced over at his other two brothers- they were leaving Raph alone to his building tension. Setting his cup on the table, Leo looked over at the livid turtle. Why did _he_ always have to be his brother's avenue?

"Yes Raph, it's unfair. It's dishonorable and cowardly. We all agree."

Finally given a focus point, Raphael stepped closer to the couch. "Then why don't we do something about it, instead of sittin' around here on our tails?"

Leo made the gesture of rubbing his temples. "How many times do we have to go over this? It's not just one enemy- it's several private contractors. We have no way of cutting off the source when we don't even know who it is. There's no reason to take unnecessary risks that will put the people we care about in danger."

For Raph's part, he hadn't drawn a weapon, so the discussion had hope for de-escalation. "But we could catch one of these punks and question him." His eyes shone with a hint of excitement.

Don decided to interject, having heard this argument before. "They work on a strictly need to know basis. The client keeps as much anonymity as possible. The contractors know the target, the price, and a possible method of contact that usually requires proof of a kill. The mercs don't know anything else- they don't care. It's like squeezing blood from a turnip."

"Don't worry Raphie- boy," Mike called over the music of Mario's water-world, "Someone will slip up. They always do."

Raph grinned. "I don't think there could be a bigger slip-up than you, Mikey."

The orange-clad turtle stuck his tongue out at his brother as he turned off the Nintendo and popped the game up. The TV blinked back to the news station and Mike hunted for the remote. The sound of a news reporter drifted through the lair, "…museum heist last night, leaving police baffled."

He paused in his search for the remote control and they all listened to the brunette in front of the camera.

:"Investigation has yet to reveal any information regarding signs of entry, the time of the robbery, or any possible suspects. The only item reported stolen was a priceless Mayan artifact: a perfectly preserved statuette of an ancient rain deity. The exhibit is on loan from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and was scheduled to be shipped by air for the first time this Monday. Officials say that the remaining artifacts were shipped this morning, immediately after the police investigation. If you have any information regarding the robbery, please contact your local law enforcement."

The TV clicked off with a _blink_, and Mike stood, stretching. Don all but huffed at the television. "People like that really get to me. They take something that serves an educational purpose, and they pillage it. They demean its value by selling it to the highest bidder- a private collector no doubt."

Mike walked over to pat his brother on the shoulder. "Poor Donnie. He's still sore about not getting to see his little dust show. It's okay- I've got something that'll make you feel better."

With that, he disappeared into his bedroom only to reemerge with a bulky object in his hands. Dumping it unceremoniously into his brother's arms, he mused, "And it's not even your birthday."

Donatello placed the curious object on his desk for a closer inspection. Although it appeared to be stone, it was far too light a substance. It had been crafted into the bust of a humanoid she-jaguar donning some sort of headpiece. Within the headpiece were streaks of an ember mineral that captured the light and glinted like lightening bolts. Reflective turquoise gems were embedded into the chest and scattered downward, between the breasts, and ended at the emerald mineral product that lined the bottom inch of the statuette. When he turned his lamp to the object, the different gem-like materials caught the light in prisms, imitating the movement of rain.

The purple clad turtle was nearly breathless, "This has to be the stolen artifact…but how?"

Mikey beamed with pride. "I'm not the stealth ninja champion for nothing. The bag was strapped over that bulky scabbard- I knew she couldn't feel anything. A sneaky exchange with something that weighs about the same, and presto! She can now enjoy an antique piece of concrete at her leisure. Indiana Jones, eat your heart out!"

Raph pat mike on the shell. "I always knew yer devious nature would come in handy someday."

Leo gave an approving smile, "Good job, Mikey."

"I know. I'm the bomb."

Michaelangelo spent the rest of the evening crooning and striking dramatic poses. No one argued.

**X**

The lair was dark- the only light was provided by the television, where a B rated horror movie was playing. Michaelangelo lay sprawled on the couch, his mouth hung agape in mid snore. He had fallen asleep watching TV long after everyone else had the sense to retire to their respective beds. The movie's young heroine raced down a long hallway, trying desperately to elude her pursuer who continued to walk at a steady pace. Finding a door unlocked, she threw herself into the darkened room.

"Uhn…don't go in there…"

Mike shifted on the couch, dropping the bowl of popcorn to the floor. He gave a snort but didn't wake. The movie's suspenseful music filled the den as a shadow appeared in the lair's small pond. Footsteps echoes from the television as the dark figure rose to the surface, taking a silent breath of air. It glided through the water to rest beneath the bridge.

A timid female's voice called out from within the TV set, "Hello? Who's there?"

The figure emerged from the water dripping wet, and took a few moments to gauge their surroundings. Noting the turtle on the couch, it made its way into another room.

A blood-curling scream sounded through the den, causing Michaelangelo to shoot straight up. "Aww man…when will they ever learn? Get to a public place or something- don't go running to the basement!"

Donatello's room doubled as a lab; monitors, measuring tools, a desk cluttered with papers, seemingly random piles of wires…

…An ancient artifact…

The intruder snatched the jaguar from its resting place and turned to make a quick escape.

"Persistent, aren't you?"

Michaelangelo stood blocking the doorway, a chuck in each hand. He couldn't believe it: he duped the thief, and now she was trying to dupe the duper. She took a step back, obviously unarmed, and froze at the sound of a throat clearing behind her.

"Mind explaining how you got in here?"

Mike supplied the answer before she could react. "There's a trail of water leading from our little pond. And I'm not cleaning it up."

Don eyed the girl suspiciously. She got points for ingenuity, but it still didn't explain how she found their location or what was so important about this one artifact. Surely it would have been less trouble- and less risk- to simply steal something else of equal or greater value. Perhaps it was the thrill factor. He considered what he was looking at: she was in her early twenties, about 5'5", and even with her hair in the wet bun, he recalled it being long, straight, and a very dark brown. Her skin seemed naturally tan, and though she was overall average, her features seemed to have an implied strength. He was guessing that she was of Native American heritage, or something similar.

Her brown eyes caught his stare and held it with a gaze that betrayed none of her thoughts. Without blinking, Don asked, "How much do you think you can get for it on Ebay?"

A new voice sounded, "Not to mention the shipping costs." Leonardo stood in the doorway. Mike had stepped into the room during their staring contest, and Leo now stood in his place. Raph was leaning casually against the frame.

"Try takin' that to the post office."

Don looked back at the girl and realized that she had never looked away. She still held the blank poker face, only now her brow was knitted. She gave a visible but inaudible sigh before replying, "This _Mozeka_ is a danger to the city."

Don arched an eye ridge. "I hope you have more to back this up."

She glanced around the room, then took a few steps out from the center, and between Don and Mike. It was getting a little hard to breathe in there.

"This 'artifact' is in the image of a rain deity, but it's more than that. This is a _Mozeka_. A 'functioning gift.' This was never placed in a greeting chamber or given as a token of union. _Mozekas_ are more than decoration- they're believed to be a gift to the people, sent from a higher power. They serve a purpose. In this case, the Mayans called upon in when in drought, and it brought them rains."

Michaelangelo shot Leo a doubtful look, and the blue clad turtle stated, "Not that we don't appreciate the lesson in Mayan vocabulary, but even if the thing worked, I don't see how a little mystic rain is going to put the city in danger."

The young woman shook her head. "There is always science behind the mystic. Magic is just a term for something not yet explained. And that's the problem: the science of _how_ it works." She paused for a moment, her eyes on the Mozeka, before continuing, "Once triggered, it emits a powerful, yet organically innocuous electrical surge that reaches a distance of miles. Just how many, I'm not sure. This wave stimulates the air particles, magnetically charging the H2O so to speak. Humidity will gravitate for miles, drawn toward the energy source. The water molecules gather, grow larger and heavier, until they fall to the earth."

Don tried to suppress his genuine interest. "That's fascinating and would lend to explain the thriving rainforests of that region, but it's yet to account for any danger."

The brunette turned her attention to Donatello, seeming to speak directly to him. "That was all good and well eight-hundred years ago…when there was no technology that harnessed electricity."

His eyes grew round in realization, but she continued anyway. "In today's day and age, especially in a city like this, electrical interference can be disastrous. A surge like this is certain to cause numerous fatalities…life support systems will go offline, occupied elevators will crash, airport navigational support will blitz out, and every system ran on electricity will experience an overload."

Don wasn't fascinated any more; he was horrified. He supplied, "Everything from personal computers and televisions to the power plant itself will experience an exponential amount of energy with inadequate output resulting in shorts, failures, and overloads, causing city wide explosions."

"That's what I said." She was glad that someone was taking her seriously- it wasn't exactly the kind of thing that you could go to the authorities about.

Leo interjected before anyone could get carried away to the point of hysterics. "Wait. If it's been hundreds of years since it's even done anything, why would it now? People have been poking and prodding it since they've discovered it, I'm sure; we don't even know what the 'trigger' is."

The impromptu instructor held up her hand in correction. "Actually, that's not entirely true. During the activation ritual, they carried the Mozeka from one of the lower temples up the thousand or so steps to the highest temple. The Mayans, much like the Egyptians, are known for their architecture- only the Mayans have great temples instead of the slightly grander pyramids. The only thing required for activation is a sufficient change in altitude…"

This time is was Leonardo's turn to supply an observation, "The news report said that Monday, the exhibit was scheduled for its first transport by fight."

"Exactly. I've already arranged ground transport to Belize, where it can be kept out of museums."

Donatello shook his head. Just when she was getting some credibility…"That's just a temporary solution to a very dangerous problem. It won't stay under wraps forever. Who ever you're sending it to will pass away eventually, and it will seem to anyone else as something to be sold. We have to find a way to neutralize it."

Raph spoke up, "I can neutralize it for you…"

Don brushed it aside. "We don't want to simply destroy it. That could cause an adverse reaction. Or it might not- we don't know, but we shouldn't take the chance."

Finally, the guy said something that she could relate to. "Exactly. The chances of accidentally triggering it are too great. We shouldn't fool around with it at all."

Don could tell that this was going to take some Democracy. "Look…Kina, was it?"

"Kine."

"Keen-aye?"

"Just call me Kai."

Mike interrupted, "Would someone just buy a vowel, already? I'll even be Vanna White."

The young woman rubbed the back of her neck. "Kai. Kai is fine."

Don continued, "Well, Kai. I can see where you're coming from. This is certainly a delicate matter, and I assure you that I'll use every precaution in dismantling the item."

Kai nearly choked- and she thought that the one in red was arrogant. Maybe it ran in the family. "Let me get this straight. You have full comprehension of the consequences if the Mozeka is activated, yet as an _amateur_ to the mystic technologies, you're taking it upon yourself to put countless lives in danger because you want to _tinker_?"

Donatello kept his cool composure, but his voice hinted at the insult at being called an amateur. "I happen to be very knowledgeable of technologies you haven't even dreamed of. From origins that you don't even know exist."

"Well, then I'll have to look over your credentials and references some other time. I can't in good conscience hand an ancient technological time bomb over to Curious Tortoise."

The techno-turtle's eye gave an involuntary twitch and Mikey backed up a few steps.

"Your negligence of the problem- stowing it away and hoping that it'll just disappear- is nothing short of immature irresponsibility and thick headedness."

Her eyes flashed. "I simply refuse to make others pay the price of stroking my ego. I know what my limitations are."

"As do I."

"Egotistical."

So she wanted to play this game? Fine. "Presumptuous."

She raised an eyebrow. "Arrogant."

"_Arrogant!"_

"Arrogant."

He scoffed. "Ignorant."

"_Ignorant!"_

"Ignorant."

Mike turned to Raph and Leo. "Kitchen?"

Leo returned, "Kitchen."

Mike repeated, "Kitchen."

Kai jumped when she felt the hand on her shoulder. She turned to see the one in orange smiling at her. "Woah, jumpy aren't we? Why don't we leave the pretty little rain-maker in here, and talk in the kitchen. There's food…you like food, don't you?"

He was speaking to her as if she were a frightened animal, and after some reflection, she realized that she might have looked it. Her arm was wrapped so tightly around the artifact that her knuckles were white. During the conversation, she must have inched back further away from the group, and her normally collected composure was lost at being called ignorant. She was out-numbered and out-powered, but no one seemed to have the intention of hurting her. She placed the Mozeka back onto the table reluctantly, then followed the turtles through the den and into the kitchen where her hopes were confirmed.

"I take it that you only came for the artifact. You should know that we're not going to hurt you so long as you don't endanger my family."

It was a comfort to hear those words, but it also meant that her fear was evident. Damn.

The turtle in blue continued, "My name is Leonardo. My family and friends call me Leo."

"What do I call you?"

He gave a considering look. "That's up to you, isn't it?"

The meaning was clear. She made a mental note to call him Leo, at least at first. The one who herded her into the room spoke. "I'm Michaelangelo, but you can call me Mike. Or Ninja Extraordinaire, or Battle Nexus Champion. Or just champion will do- Oww!"

His head jerked back slightly as the one in red snapped Mike's bandana tails. "I'm Raphael, or just Raph. Don't matter much to me which one you use."

The other one, though, she recalled from the night before. "And you're Don, right? I guess that's short for…" She thought for a moment, "Donatello, perhaps?" He nodded and she smiled. That wasn't a difficult leap of logic.

Leonardo filled a pot and placed it on the stove. He then pulled out several small bags and placed them into five cups.

Guess they were having tea.

Raphael watched her watch his brother. He wasn't quite sure what to think; here they were, grounded because of some great outside threat, yet they were having tea with an outsider. An intruder, no less. An intruder that knew how much they were worth dead. Then again, she was the one who told them to begin with. He could recall a few good decisions on her part, that being one of them. The other night, she dropped her hand from her weapon when told. Point. She came tonight, completely unarmed. Double point. She was able to rile Don into the closest thing to a name-calling match he had ever seen his brother engage in. Point on amusement alone. It wasn't enough to _trust_ her, but he didn't completely _dislike_ her either.

"Five two."

Kai looked at Mike, who had spoken. "What?"

"Five two."

She blinked at him and he elaborated, "Last night, you called us five-foot tall turtles. We're five-two."

She cracked a smile. "Oh. My mistake. I guess the description wasn't that accurate."

Finally, a topic Raph wanted to talk about. "And what do you know about it? If you're not a merc, how did you get that kind of info?"

She looked at the cup that was placed before her; the steam rolled and coiled upward, filling her senses with the scent of jasmine tea. "I have a few friends in the business."

He wasn't sure he believed her, but whatever helped her sleep at night. It wasn't his business. He was, however, concerned with the information that she could provide, so he let her continue, "I actually did look into it, hoping that I could come up with something to maybe barter back the Mozeka with. The only thing out of the ordinary at all was a small symbol. I have no idea what it's supposed to mean."

Raph asked, "Could you draw it?"

She nodded and Mike got up to find a pen and paper. Leonardo took a drink and commented, "You have a thing for bartering, don't you?"

She replied, "I've learned that people always want something in return- equivalent exchange. People don't seem to care about loyalty or honoring their word anymore. The right thing is only right when it's convenient or profitable. I don't like it, but that's the way it is- I just take the proper precautions in dealing with people now. I don't assume anything anymore."

Leo mused, "It sounds like you're doing a lot of assuming. Assuming that everyone you meet will be like the last."

Mike returned with a pen and pad. She took them and streaked a few practice squiggles to get the ink flowing. She then set about the short task of drawing the symbol. She thought that it looked like a tulip, or perhaps a rounded crown…

"The Foot?"

**X**

Some of us in the room remember the Mozeka from years past. Those of you who do, have no doubt figured out what Kai is. For those of who don't, all will come in time.

Isn't that what they say?


	6. Encounters

Author's Notes: None! Ha!

Rated 'M' for violence, language, sexual content, and a plethora of offensive material including but not limited to drug use and underage drinking.

Disclaimer: I got 'em! I got 'em! Or was that just a dream…oh crud- I don't own them in this chapter, either.

**Equilibrium**

-Encounters-

He's coming.

And all who oppose him shall perish in his wake.

He is greater than any council, any enemy. He is greater than any personal honor.

She must serve him. It is a matter of greater honor- to one's master and to one's clan.

Why then, was every fiber of her being screaming at her to commit betrayal. Treachery.

She shuddered at the memory of his voice.

_You will have failed me for the last time, Karai…_

**X**

"They're at it again, dude."

Mike plopped unceremoniously next to Raph on the couch. Some sort of wrestling match played on the screen, drowning out the sounds of exertion coming from the dojo. Leonardo had spent most of the day in there, handing off between training and meditation. A female voice carried through the den as she and Donatello made their way from the kitchen. "You make it a habit to meddle in things that don't concern you, then?"

Just another night of domestic bliss.

They had found themselves at a standstill last night; Kai was determined to stay within thirty feet of the Mozeka, and Don had insisted that letting her take it was a bad idea. So they did what any properly raised young men would do: they made up the couch. She seemed a little put off by the fact that they weren't relinquishing the artifact but stayed the night, sleeping late into the afternoon. More pleasantries were made, and it was well into the evening.

"And I suppose _you_ make it a habit to pass judgment on the actions of others."

Mike considered sending a 'ding' Don's way, but the jovial turtle learned early on not to get involved. Without taking his eyes from the TV, Raph asked, "What are they arguing about this time?"

Mike shrugged. "I'm not sure. It kinda makes me appreciate those times that I don't know what he's talking about. I can just assume he's right, you know?"

Raph gave a slight smile. Nearly a day later, and she was still working his brainy brother into a fluster. He mused that some part of Don must enjoy the challenge, to keep engaging her like he did. Not that Raph was complaining- he enjoyed seeing him interact. It seemed that his brother kept to himself too often.

The two entered the room and Don addressed his orange-wearing brother. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but will you tell her about the Battle Nexus?"

Mike bounced up on his knees in excitement. "Well, there we were…faced against opponents from every corner of the multi-verse-"

"Thanks Mike. That'll be all."

Michaelangelo stopped with a look of deflation and stared at Don. "What?"

The staff wielding turtle clarified, "I just wanted to emphasize the fact that we have experienced and observed safe inter-dimensional travel."

The girl shook her head. "You also mentioned some sort of Daimyo with some sort of powers. He's obviously got a handle on the equilibrium and doesn't rely on an outside source. I was referring to your research in creating a hyperbolic inter-dimensional traveler. If you would just listen to my theory on how excessive inter-dimensional travel puts unnatural strain on the multi-verse lending to the collapse of the sub-universe in it's-"

"Do you ever theorize about something positive?"

The brunette blinked and gave it some consideration. "If I fail to foresee something negative, then I can't take precautionary actions to prevent it. If I fail to see something positive, then I just miss it. No harm done."

Donatello replied, "If you can't see the good, then what's the point?"

Kai arched an eyebrow. "Technological suave, inter-dimensional travel, and now psychology. You're a jack of all trades, aren't you?"

He considered commenting on her defensive response, but opted instead to change the subject. Heading toward his room, he called over his shoulder, "If you know so much about this artifact, don't you want to be present while I dismantle it?"

"What!"

She nearly ran to catch up, and the two brothers watched them disappear into the other room.

The wrestling match finally over, Raph surfed for something new to watch. The house arrest was still making him itchy. "That's probably the most excitement we'll see today."

As if on cue, Leonardo came bursting form the dojo, not even sparing his brothers a glace. Mike stood and approached his obviously disturbed brother. "Whoa. What's up bro? We haven't seen much of you all day."

Leo clenched his fist and spoke through gritted teeth. "Karai couldn't just accept an honorable defeat. She's cowering as she puts a mark on my family."

The last words came out as a growl, surprising the other two turtles in the room. Usually Leo was the calming voice of reason. Come to think of it, he did have some difficulty when they had their shells handed to them by the Shredder some time back. Since then- especially after Ch'rell's banishment to the ice world- Leo had seemed to collect himself and return to the brother they knew. He was still a little harder around the edges, but they had all undergone changes and growth over the year.

Raph considered what he was looking at. This bordered on dark, reckless Leo. A Leo that he thought was long gone.

Guess he was just resting.

Nonetheless, Raph wanted action. If Leonardo had a plan to take the bitch out, he wasn't about to argue. "So what are we going to do about it? When are we leavin'?"

The blue-clad turtle stopped him before he could even get up. "We're not. That's what she wants –for us to show ourselves and get hit from every direction."

Raph wasn't buying it. "You sure as hell look like you're on yer way out."

Leo turned and continued toward the door. "I'm just going to run in the sewers to clear my head. Alone." He paused and gave his brothers what he hoped was a reassuring smile. "You know me. I'm not going to do anything stupid."

With that, he walked out, leaving two confused brothers to look at each other in question.

"Now he's stealing your scenes, Raph."

The sai wielder stared at the lair's entrance and Mike continued, "Well, he's right. We _do_ know him…"

Raphael glanced back at his brother, who had a very mischievous smile on his beak. Raph couldn't help the grin that was forming on his own. "All the more reason to make sure that he _doesn't_ do anything stupid…"

**X**

It had started out as an exercise run. Honestly.

The pounding of his feet beat rhythmically in time with his heart; his mind was a jumble of thoughts, but they were more bearable when overshadowed by the steady physical exertion.

He only surfaced for air. There was no other reason to be topside, but he really needed the breather. Besides, he was ninja: he could roam the city without being seen. He wasn't looking for trouble.

The fact that he was heading in the general direction of Saki's tower was mere coincidence. Nothing more.

And the opportunity that presented itself with the sighting of a rooftop stakeout…well, that was just too tempting to pass up.

The man in black had been camped out on the roof for three nights now, certain that it would provide fruit. After all, one of his…colleagues had a run in with the target in this area. He died in this area as well, but that wasn't of much concern. The deceased mercenary's partner had apparently booked as soon as their location was discovered, babbling on about green creatures with lightening speed and meticulous aim. Rookie.

He scratched his chin, feeling the scruff of a face unshaved; he had the rough appearance that made ladies wary and clutch their handbags tight. He thought he looked like Hugh Jackman, and the women? They were simply startled by his rugged good looks. The man did another sweep with his binoculars, checked the time, and opened a can of pork and beans.

"Waiting for someone?"

It all happened in a matter of seconds. The mercenary dropped the can and reached for the gun at his side, but Leo had a katana drawn long before revealing his location. In one smooth strike, the gun was destroyed and the man's hand was left bloody and useless. Without pause, the turtle gave a vicious kick, sending his target skidding across the rooftop, a safe distance from the equipment.

Cradling his injured hand, the merc looked up to find the point of a sword pressed firmly to his throat and a very pissed reptile staring down at him coldly. The voice that followed matched the stare. "Thought you'd make a quick buck, hm?"

"Quick my ass."

Leo tilted the sword slightly, falling into thought. "It just _might_ _be_ your ass…"

Leonardo was many things, but he was hardly a murderer. He would not hesitate in striking an opponent down in the heat of battle, when his life or the lives of his family were at stake. There were occasions when self-defense and the defense of others called for lethal force.

This wasn't one of those occasions.

Of course, he wasn't one for letting deeds against his family go unpunished either. Amazing, the effects a simple scare tactic can have on a person.

Leonardo peered over the roof's ledge, taunting his helpless captive. He had secured the man's ankles with some sturdy rope he had found among the equipment; the other end, he had looped around a stable fire escape rail. The merc dangled red-faced ten stories above the ground, otherwise unharmed.

The turtle placed his blade along the rope, ignoring the man's expression of absolute horror.

"Tell me something. How much is _your_ life worth?"

The captive choked on his answer. "N-nothing! I mean, you'd get nothing! My life is-has worth! Don't kill me!"

He didn't plan to. The fire escape traveled down the length of the building- once the groveling man gathered enough wits, he would be able to swing himself to safety with relative ease. Granted, he had yet to realize this.

A katana at the rope probably wasn't helping the thought process any.

"P-please. Have mercy!"

There was no doubt in Leo's mind how much mercy he would receive if the roles were reversed; but that's where he differed from what seemed to be the majority. Not the color of his skin or the means of his origins…but rather, his honor. Integrity.

The ability to walk away.

Sheathing his weapon, he free-fell to one of the lower fire escape rails, gave the terrified human a final glance, then leapt over the alley to land on the next rooftop. The man might or might not have learned his lesson, but it was a choice that was his own.

"So you _can_ be creative."

At the sound of a familiar voice, Leo looked up and dodged a flash of steel. The move was unnecessary, as the throwing star's aim was wide, hardly coming near the turtle at all.

The sound of rope snapping drew his attention to the building he had just jumped from. The scream lasted only seconds before cutting off with a sickening smack. Neither had to look to know that he was dead.

"Your mercy will be the end of you, Leonardo."

He gritted his teeth and drew his trusted twin katana, letting his voice come out as a growl.

"_Karai_…"

**X**

Leo was out there somewhere, and he was likely shell-deep in trouble.

That's why they had followed the sewer tunnels up into a familiar alley. Mike was certain that his blue-clad brother would find himself in the need of back up. Raph, on the other hand, felt as if he was being left out on the fun. Both agreed though: even if Leonardo wasn't looking for trouble, trouble was going to find him. That just seemed to be the way it worked.

And that's apparently how it worked for all of them- this point was punctuated by a throwing knife embedding itself into a trash can two feet from Michaelangelo's abdomen.

"Why is it always me?"

Raphael had already fallen back into the shadows, not wanting to risk a return to the manhole. That is of course, assuming their attacker hadn't watched them emerge in the first place and already had it sighted. "It's always you 'cause you're the only one without enough sense to duck!"

The whistling sound of another projectile moved Mike into gear and he flipped behind a dumpster. Not the most pleasant of spots, but a working shield nonetheless.

The nunchaku-wielding turtle wondered briefly of his brother's location before he heard the familiar New York accent about seven feet away. Then he wished he hadn't.

"Mikey, you godda distract him while I get a bead on his location."

Michaelangelo's voice came out as a whine, "Aww…why do I always have to be the distraction?"

"'Cause that's what you're good at. 'Sides, he knows where you are- you're a sitting turtle."

He hated to admit it –really hated to admit it –but his brother was right. Raphael was the only one who had the freedom to move about undetected, and they needed to use that to their advantage.

"If he kills me, I'm going to haunt you every moment of every day for the rest of your life."

A disembodied snort came from the darkness. "And how will that be any different from the last sixteen years?"

Ignoring the comment, Michaelangelo looked around to find something useful in creating a distraction. Considering the fact that he was behind an industrial-sized dumpster, he didn't even _want_ to know what he could be crouching in. To his right were some discarded newspapers, other unidentifiable paper trash, and a silver-gray garbage can that reminded him of Oscar the Grouch. To his left were some unfortunately used janitorial materials: a plunger, a ratty mop, and a broken broom handle. The dumpster's lid was flipped back and a pool of black sludge was gathered beneath the mammoth container, seeping out toward the disgusted turtle.

Just because he lived in a sewer, he didn't necessarily enjoy wallowing in other people's slime.

When it became apparent that a brilliant idea wasn't going to strike him any time soon, he went with the first half-baked plan that entered his mind.

Moment passed and the alley was quite, safe for a metallic scraping coming from behind the turtle's refuge.

Slowly the silver trashcan came into view as it crept inch by inch from behind the dumpster. Flipped upside down, it scooted hesitantly away from the garbage filled sanctum, as if not to draw attention to itself.

_Shink_

A throwing knife reached the can with such force that it sliced clean through the metal, hitting the wall on the other side. A grunt was heard, then the dumpster's lid flipped up with great velocity, sending a miniature sea of sludge flying through the air. It splattered throughout the alley, reaching the ledge of the next building and hopefully beyond.

Michaelangelo lay behind the dumpster with his shell to the ground and his feet in the air, having just kicked the lid with all of his strength. The sludge catapult had worked better than he expected, considering none of it had rained back down on him. He leapt to his feet and jumped over the empty Oscar-can; the good old 'scoot the dummy can with a broken broom handle' trick. Ah, the classics.

He sprinted across the alleyway and flattened himself against the wall of the building the knives had been thrown from. The ninja then flipped up onto a window ledge and continued to the roof. He hadn't heard sounds of a struggle- the distraction might not have bought enough time.

Reaching the rooftop with his chucks out, he realized two things. First of all, the distraction must have been perfect, for there was a well-armed woman lying on the pavement unmoving. There was some slime, but he didn't see blood. Mike guessed that she was just unconscious.

There was movement on the roof, drawing his attention to the red-clad turtle, which in turn brought him to the second conclusion: The catapult worked better than he could have ever hoped.

With sais still drawn, Raph stood glowering at his brother. Or at least, Mike thought he was glowering. It was hard to tell when the other was covered in rotten, half-liquefied refuse.

"I've got a distraction for ya, Mikey…"

**X**

The mozeka sat on Donatello's workbench, prepared and ready for further scrutinizing. It was untouched, however, as the room's occupants were focused on one another.

Don's voice held an incredulous tone, "You're accusing me of destroying the entire universe!"

Kai shook her head and tried to explain. "No, no. I'm just saying that when excessive inter-dimensional travel occurs, you run the risk of two realities becoming codependent. What effects one reality will in essence, affect the other. Then two realities may become three or five or ten…and what then? They'll be a strain on the equilibrium, throwing that entire sub-universe into chaos. The inter-connected realities may begin to merge, collapsing in itself, and initiate a black hole effect. The entire sub-universal structure would become unstable, but the Universe in its magnitude should be able to withstand the loss of the numerous realities in just that one sub-universe."

Don replied sarcastically, "Oh, so you're not implying that I would lend to the destruction of the Universe, just the countless realities in your so-called sub-universe. That's better."

The brunette heaved a sigh and spoke in a softer tone, "I'm not accusing you of anything. I was just stating an idea."

His voice grew softer as well. Maybe there was hope of getting through to her after all. "It's just that you make your ideas sound like facts rather than theory."

She rubbed the back of her neck, obviously tired of arguing. It was no surprise, considering the amount of it they had been engaging in. "I know, I have a habit of doing that. It's just…when I go into debate mode, I tend to get a little aggressive in my views."

Don offered her a smile and stood from the chair, stretching. "I'm going to get some more coffee. Do you want some?"

"Sure," She returned the smile and diverted her attention back to the artifact, searching for any little clue they could have missed.

As Donatello made his way through the den, he noticed a distinct absence of his brothers. Surely it wasn't late enough for them to have gone to bed already…

"Oh. Evening, Master Splinter."

The aged rat sat at the kitchen table, a steaming cup in his paw. He smiled at his son and watched as he put on a pot of coffee. "Good evening, Donatello. I don't suppose you know any more than I do concerning your brothers' whereabouts?"

The turtle looked up from the coffee maker with a hint of surprise. "You mean they're not in the lair at all? Should I go search for them. Sensei?"

The ninja master's whiskers twitched at the change in atmosphere. Of his sons, Donatello was the slowest to action. He was not calling his son slow, not by any means; his usually quiet student simply preferred to think his way out of a problem. Times like this, however, just demonstrated the fact that Donatello didn't hesitate to act when his family needed him.

Splinter placed a hand on his son's arm reassuringly. "There is no need to do so, my son. They have been gone for no longer than thirty minutes, and one would hope that they know to stay together. Return to miss Kai and focus on the problem at hand."

**X**

Their blades clashed with a fierceness that matched their eyes. A parry, a thrust; a dodge, a block. It was a captivating dance where a missed step ensured a painful death.

Leonardo had become even more skilled than their last encounter. Or perhaps, he was simply fueled by something raw- the fury in his eyes did not go unnoticed by the other ninja.

"I am sorry it has to be this way, Leonardo."

The turtle ducked a blow, side-sweeping one of Karai's legs out from under her. She fell back out of reach and drew up a defensive stance.

"I'm tired of your apologies, Karai. You haven't the personal honor to guide your own actions, so you just apologize for them."

She raised her katana in preparation for a strike. "Do not speak to me of honor! It is to my master that I owe my life and my service. I am bound to serve him."

She carried out a downward strike, which Leo easily dodged.

"The Shredder's gone, Karai. Yet you still live out his vendetta, hiring mercenaries of all things!"

He performed a roundhouse kick, which she blocked with her forearm.

"You should have known that the Shredder would not stay gone for long. I did not put a price on your head until I received news of his return."

Leo was unprepared for the side kick that landed on his chest, knocking the air from his lungs. He planted his feet firmly and grabbed her ankle, using the upper momentum to toss her to the side.

This Shredder thing was getting old. They had battled underground monsters, genetic experiments, mad scientists, space aliens, inter-dimensional power-seekers…yet this one villain kept getting recycled. Surely the universe would have something more original to throw at them by now.

Karai took up a defensive stance, giving her opponent the benefit of the next move. When he took up the defensive as well, she ventured an explanation.

"The Shredder is a powerful force. Powerful enough to have gained allies during his crusades in space. He has been retrieved, and is currently on a path set for Earth…and he expects you dead upon arrival. If you are not, then that fate will be my own."

Some of the fire disappeared from Leo's eyes; nonetheless, his stance never faltered. "So these attacks, are they fueled by your honor or your fear?"

Something flickered behind her eyes, something that he couldn't quite place. Unsure of what to expect, he drew one sword up in front of him as a sort of shield. Her response surprised him more than any attack could have.

"He taught me everything I know. I could not hope to overpower him." Her voice was soft, almost lost as if an endless war had been raging inside of her. In that moment, she looked so very exhausted.

The blue-clad turtle dropped the sword to his side and let his expression soften. He was still prepared for an attack, but if she wanted to go into confessional mode, he wanted to appear capable but not threatening.

"You're right Karai. You wouldn't stand a chance alone. That's what allies are for."

The woman considered the ninja before her. Was he really that trusting, or would he extend to her the same backstabbing that she had shown him? And his family: they would never approve. They could be powerful together, but…

"Are you offering an alliance, Leonardo?"

He considered his words; it certainly sounded like an offer. However, this wasn't a decision to be made lightly and without the voice of his family. No, it wasn't an offer. Not yet.

"Should I, Karai? As I recall, you once offered us a truce. Then the next time we met, your katana was at my throat. I should not be surprised if this were a deceitful trick in order to save your own life from the very master you serve"

Steel met leather as Karai sheathed her weapon. She refused to meet Leo's eyes as she spoke in a subdued but by no means fragile voice. "I was there, Leonardo. When they named his crimes…destruction and tyranny over so many worlds. There is honor to killing, but not in indiscriminate slaughter."

She finally met his gaze; while it lacked the anger and conviction it once held, she still had a confident strength. Even in this time of being lost, she had a take it or leave it attitude.

She continued, "You have no reason to trust me, other than my word. The word of a ninja who no longer serves a master. Or, I will simply do what is required for my survival."

Leonardo sheathed his own katanas, but continued to emanate authority and control. His posture suggested that –though willing to listen –he wouldn't hesitate in drawing his weapons again.

"Let's talk."

Her lips curved into a smile that could only be described as bittersweet.

"Yes, Leonardo. We shall talk."

**X**

"What the shell was that?"

Michaelangelo and Raphael stood on the rooftop staring out toward the eastern docks. Just a moment before, they had caught sight of what appeared to be a shooting star; only instead of streaking across the sky, it seemed to plummet downward. The trail of light was cut off by the buildings' silhouettes, but unless their eyes were playing tricks on them, something had just landed either in or by the river.

"Don't know. What do ya say we check it out?"

They moved closer to the edge of the building, deciding on the best route. Mike made the gesture of fanning himself before commenting, "Sure thing, Raph. So long as you keep your distance 'cause man, you really stin-Gah!"

The turtle didn't have time to duck as a glob of sludge was send sailing his way. It splattered over Michaelangelo's beak, and he tried desperately to wipe it off.

"That's sick Raph…I had my mouth open and everything!"

The turtle in red laughed as he leapt to the next building, on his way to the docks. Still grumbling under his breath, Mike followed his would-be comedian brother. They were going to find an abandoned hose before perusing anything else.

Fifteen minutes and a short water hose fight had passed by the time they reached their destination. By the look of it, they weren't the only ones attracted by the light show. Three foot ninja had roped in an object and were in the process of dragging it out of the river; there were four other masked assassins standing guard nearby. Seven, not taking into account any foot that may have been lurking in the shadows. Still, not bad odds when pitted against two highly trained adolescent transformed shadow warrior chelonians.

Not bad odds for the two, that is.

Raphael sent a hand signal his brother's way, who nodded in return. The two crept through the shadows to surround the four guards and soon learned that there were no other ninjas waiting to ambush them in the darkness. The four were taken out easily enough, and without causing a sound. The other three were so focused on the task at hand, they didn't even notice the fall of their comrades.

"Whatcha got there, boys?"

The black-clad ninjas whirled around to face the speaker: Raph smirked at them, twirling his sais casually. While he did so, a two-toed foot connected with a clan member from another direction. As Mike knocked the one down, Raph set to work on the other two; shoving the handle of his sai into the gut of one, sending him stumbling into the other. He then executed a roundhouse kick, knocking them both down and out.

The red-masked turtle looked over at his brother, who was inspecting the beached object. "Is it just me, or are these guys falling behind in their training?"

"Nah. They just can't compare, Raph. No amount of training can help being a foot loser."

Michaelangelo was poking and prodding at the pod-like object. It was slightly smaller than a compact car, and much less accessible. He was about to comment on the lack of a door handle when a mechanical whoosh of air made him jump back. With weapons drawn, they could only stare in shock as a door rose and a small figure emerged.

Walking on all eight tentacles.

**X**

The artifact was beginning to look like a color-me teddy bear. After noticing a certain pattern within the grooves of the statuette, they confiscated a washable marker from Michaelangelo's room and began highlighting the lines. Orange ink roamed across the surface of the glittering she-jaguar, guided by Kai's steady hand. The young woman's focus was for her work and her work alone, allowing Donatello to consider the female with closer scrutinization.

Chestnut hair fell in straight locks to the middle of her back and he recalled her reaching a height of about two inches above himself. Her frame was small enough, however, to have been overshadowed by their presence when they were playing the intimidation card the day before. Her facial features were strong and gentle at the same time- not sharp enough to be Native American, but still possessing the same steady calm. She looked as if she could be a 'Running Deer' or 'Singing River Valley.'

Or perhaps more appropriately, 'Head-butting Ram.'

He chuckled to himself, earning a quizzical look from the hardheaded young woman.

"What's so funny?"

He stifled his mirth and chose instead to simply tell her the truth, "I was just wondering about your heritage."

She arched an eyebrow, unsure of the humor in such a topic. Nevertheless, she indulged him, "Different things, really. A lot of Cherokee, some Italian, and a good bit of Mayan. Apparently my paternal grandmother's side of the family lived in Brazil, but were from Belize originally."

He nodded, having been partly right after all. He stroked his chin thoughtfully and ventured, "I suppose that attributes to your affinity for their artifacts. But there is something I've been wanting to know…how did you find our lair?"

She placed the marker on the table and gave an uncertain look before asking, "Do you believe in ESP?"

Now this one he had to consider. Professor Honeycut had developed and constructed a working device that increased extra sensory abilities such as telekinesis. The Utroms were an advanced race that had the ability to achieve shared consciousness and whose council members obviously communicated telepathically. His own Master Splinter encouraged –no, required –they learn meditation to achieve higher awareness. How often did their sensei have a vision that eventually came to pass? That's how they suspected that the Shredder was up to something particularly evil that night they destroyed his starship.

From experience, Donatello stood behind the idea of extra sensory perception; as a turtle of science, he was still allowed to be skeptical. You'll never see him on the phone, seeking advice from Miss Cleo.

"I believe in ESP…are you saying that you had a vision of our lair?"

She eyed him doubtfully. Usually the 'brainier' individuals tended to be the most avid nonbelievers. She tried to keep her explanation short and sweet. "This isn't the first active artifact I've come across. Most of the time, it starts as a vision –what or where it is, what it does –then I can kind of _feel_ it. Like when a family member is nearby, you can sometimes sense them. I followed that feeling and came to a brick wall in the sewers. So I found a way around it. It's not always Mayan, either. Hell, it's not even always from the Americas. But they all have a similar feel to them. It's the strangest thing, but so far these…eccentricities have yet to steer me wrong."

Don noticed that she avoided looking at him while talking. Judging by her previous doubt, she probably didn't expect him to believe any of it. If only she knew half the things that he had come across in his young life…

Trying to make light of it, he commented, "If anything, it seems to steer you into trouble."

She laughed and leaned back in the chair. "You're telling me. Some weird shit happens…and you wondered why I smoke pot."

He gathered up the mozeka and marker, picking up where she left off. He had actually forgotten that she tried to pass him a joint the first night they met.

"Yes, I do. You're young, bright, and you've got potential. You don't need to be doing drugs."

She rolled her eyes and heaved a dramatic sigh. "That thing you're holding in your hands? It's giving off a…mental buzzing sensation. The neighbor's television: a higher pitched buzz. Before the phone rings: a slightly different 'white noise' within the static. Call it ESP or insanity; I don't really care anymore. I'm ready to accept either one. Smoking helps me cope. It chills me out and helps me ignore all these things around me."

The turtle shook his head, sensing yet another impending argument. "There are healthier ways to deal with it than pushing it away. Forgetting that it even exists is not going to help in the long run. Have you tried meditation? Clearing your mind?"

She was surprised that the guy was offering suggestions rather than scoffing at her. She took a deep breath and replied, "Yes, but only when I'm seeking a vision. Otherwise, I just fall asleep every time."

He gave it some thought. This was more Leo's department, as Don really wasn't very big on meditation. He didn't see the point of clearing his mind when there were so many thoughts that he wanted to put to use. Nonetheless, he offered a suggestion. "Maybe if you learned a new technique, then. Master Splinter is the one who taught us, and he has accurate visions himself. I'm sure he wouldn't mind offering some suggestions."

She smiled at him. He was, after all, only trying to help. At the same time, perhaps, she could help him: loosen up, that is.

"Do you at least drink?"

His hand made its way carefully around the side of the artifact. The tracing had started at the top, and he had nearly reached the bottom without discovering much else. He didn't look up, but just shook his head.

"No? Not even a beer? I'm beginning to lose faith in you."

He gave a chuckle as the marker reached the front of the statuette. She leaned her head back and said with her eyes closed, "I could use some Captain Morgan's Spiced Rum right now, what with the anxiety of you triggering that damn thing."

He had decided the night before to not take her doubt as an insult –she was simply worried. Truth be told, he was getting a bit skeptical himself when they had still yet to uncover anything. Instead, he joked, "I'll tell you what. If this thing activates, I'll have that drink with you."

She raised an eyebrow –something she seemed to do often. "If the mozeka activates, not even the good Captain could fix the damage."

The velvet tip reached the bottom of the bust and he dropped the marker in exasperation. "Not that we really thou-"

The turtle froze mid-word and stared captivated as the designs began to move like cogs inside of a clock. The animation caused the gems to catch the light and sparkle with a brightness more pronounced than before. In fact, the light almost seemed to come from within…

Colored light –amber, sapphire, and emerald –began to radiate, overlapping one another to form a multicolored aura surrounding the artifact.

They barely had time to register, when the aura shot outward in every direction.


	7. Enter: Morgrag

Author's Notes: A transitional quickie…

Rated 'M' for violence, language, sexual content, and a plethora of offensive material including but not limited to drug use and underage drinking.

Disclaimer: The turtles hope and pray every night that I never get my hands on them…so quite obviously, I don't own them. I make no profit other than people online sending me kind reviews and people in real life sending me comments like, "Nerd" and "Dork."

**Equilibrium**

-Enter: Morgrag-

The Mozeka radiated with multi-colored energy forming a visible aura around the object. When it shot outward in every direction, Donatello could only close his eyes and wait for the explosions. They were, after all, in Donatello's lab: technical equipment everywhere.

Moments passed and the room was filled with a powerful buzzing that bypassed the ears and drilled straight to the brain. But no explosions. Relieved yet afraid at the same time, Donatello ventured to open his eyes. The sight that met him did little to relieve his conflicting emotions.

The visible energy still pulsed a good three feet out, but it seemed to have stopped in its tracks. Its radius overlapped his body, though he felt no abnormal sensations. Their theory was right about the surge not effecting organic substances. At some point, Kai had managed to raise her hands as if to block herself, though her eyes remained screwed tightly shut. If they were open, she would have seen that the artifact's aura had stopped about half an inch from her palms.

"Kai...?"

The energy was by no means stationary. It had ceased its path of radiation, but the colors continued to swim within the moderate spherical aura. The brunette gave no response, so he repeated in a firmer tone, "Kai."

She reluctantly opened her eyes and the color drained form her face. She looked over at the turtle with an expression that wasn't difficult to read: fear.

Donatello kept his calm. The fact that she had somehow stopped it was a good thing. At this point, she only held the lives of thousands if not more in her hands. Or rather, half an inch from them.

Yeah, he could understand her fear.

"Kai, are you with me? What ever you do, don't let it go…"

So he couldn't think of any better advice than that; he had to say something, right? He was wondering if that had been a good idea as her breathing became ore rapid.

"Is it hurting you?"

She wasn't responding and he hated not knowing what to do. It always seemed to fall on him to find an answer. Sure, Leo usually came up with the plan of execution, but who did everyone turn to when they didn't know what was going on? Who was expected to have all of the answers? Here he was, alone with the only person who seemed to have some kind of leverage over the problem, and she wasn't fairing too well.

Her breathing was shallow and rapid; her face, pale and clammy. Keeping her hands in place, she attempted to double up as much as the position would allow. He recognized the signs.

"Are you prone to panic attacks?"

At this, he received a nod. Shit. The last thing they needed was for her to lose it now. He had to talk her through it, help her get control. He often played mediator for his family when Mike was either MIA or one of the combatants. Sibling rivalry to an electromagnetic time bomb: if he could nullify one, surely he could de-escalate the other. No biggie.

He resisted the urge to wipe his brow for the risk of appearing nervous. He did, however, wet the lips of his beak before speaking. "It's okay. You have it under control. Just breathe, deep breaths now."

He was mildly surprised when she listened, trying to take control of her inhales. Her exhales were still sharp, but one step at a time would have to do.

"Sit up. Inhale for three seconds, then exhale for three. That's right. Good job."

It didn't take long for Don's coaching to get the young woman under control. Now was the hard part. The light swirled like clouds in an angry storm and he wondered briefly if she could feel it. "Try pushing it back into the artifact."

Her brow knitted together and she replied, "Not doable."

"Why not?"

He then considered the fact that it may be a bad idea to divert her attention to conversation. Before he could tell her this, she struggled for an explanation. "Exponential energy…still pushing…still active. Like two positive magnets…positive is still pouring out…can't shove positive at positive…won't take."

He considered her words and came to a conclusion. "Once it's finished expelling the energy, it may revert back to neutral. Or better yet, it may do a reversal to become negative in order to recollect the energy. Do you have any idea how long this could take?"

She cast him an utterly exasperated look. "This part was never in my vision. Sorry."

"It's okay. Not your fault."

Her arms shaking from the strain, she shot him another look: this one, a blend of exasperation and disbelief that her sarcasm had been missed. She was about to make another comment, but something changed in the frequency. Like a sudden change of tide, the force that was shoving against her moments ago, turned to pull inward. Getting caught in the figurative rip current, she panicked and released her hold on the aura.

It was as if someone had simply pushed rewind –just as quickly as it had shot outward, the colors pulled back to gleam across the surface one final time. The gems sparkled their goodbye, then all signs of light disappeared leaving the artifact looking to all the world like an innocent decoration.

The turtle heaved a dramatic sigh then commented, "I still don't think we actually neutralized it."

The brunette slumped back into the chair and settled on glaring at the disappointed reptile.

The door to the lab was flung open and Raphael burst in. "Don, you okay?"

The techno-turtle gave his brother a quizzical look. Despite the drama that had just occurred, there were no sounds or signs of a struggle. How did Raph even know that there was a problem?

The answer came flying in on a circular metal disk complete with two thin, robotic arms. The device was familiar, as well as the pink alien operating it. So the Utrom himself wasn't someone they knew, but there was no mistaking the race.

Kai's body went still and her eyes grew round in shock at the newcomer.

Michaelangelo brought up the rear. Noticing the young woman's expression, he chuckled. "Four teenage mutant ninja turtles: One million dollars. Sneaky black thieves outfit needed to steal a deadly magical artifact: Forty dollars. Having to change your underwear because of a pink floating brain: Priceless."

She collected herself to look almost embarrassed. Raph shook his head and said, "You watch way too much TV, Mikey." He then turned to the other two. "Guys, this is Morgrag. We found him by the docks."

The turtle in purple cleared his throat and offered their newest human friend an explanation. "He's an Utrom. I believe I mentioned a race who successfully developed a transmat device…well, those are his people."

The disk tilted up just slightly, mimicking a bow. Morgrag didn't waste any time getting to the questions. "I sensed a surge of energy and insisted to your brothers that we hurry. How did you manage to nullify a Mozeka?"

Don nodded toward Kai. "That would have been her. She- wait…you know about the Mozeka?"

The Utrom moved closer to the artifact and reached out with a tentacle. After a moment, a familiar symbol began to glow on the she-jaguar's forehead: the same symbol that the guardians wore on their pendants. The light faded and the alien moved back a couple of feet, addressing the room. "It has been deactivated." Considering Donatello's question, he tried to explain, "I assume you're familiar with the sword of Tengu."

Everyone but Kai nodded, so he continued. "That was not the only Utrom-influenced artifact brought on by the crew's presence on this planet. Don't forget, they were stranded here for nearly a thousand of your years. Though they tried to limit their human interactions, it was rather unavoidable. Ch'rell hunted them, so for centuries they would constantly relocate to different areas of the globe."

He paused to make sure that everyone was still with him; indeed, they were hanging on to his every word waiting for the exposition to reach a point of relevance.

"Take South America, for example. Humans lived in harsh surroundings with little to no technological advancements. The Utroms agreed, with Mortu's permission, to aid these people as discretely as possible. The human mind has quite the imagination, as it tends to fabricate stories and myths of gods, deities, and other explanations for things that they do not understand."

During the pause, Donatello commented. "That would explain how primitive people throughout the ages have come to accomplish baffling things, even by today's standards."

Morgrag appeared to nod, despite being without a neck. It seemed as if he wasn't finished. "Of course, any interference with another culture –regardless of good intentions- has the potential to cause harm as time goes by. It was about eight hundred years ago, the Mayan period, that our stranded comrades realized this. After much deliberation, they decided to implement a genetic fail-safe."

The mechanical arms would gesture, aiding to his articulation. "They spent much time and effort spiritually tweaking a willing, chosen human's more dormant senses. With heightened sensitivity to the energies, this human could locate, decipher, and utilize many of the items that were gifted with our unique frequencies. They called this person a 'Kaidar,' which roughly translates to 'keeper of that which is hidden.' In order to ensure that protection would be sustained even in the Utrom's absence, this human was able to pass the sensitivity to future generations. Observation concluded that this trait often skipped a generation and favored the X chromosome."

The brunette let the information settle in her mind. Her voice was soft and thoughtful, "My grandmother was an accurate fortune-teller. And her grandmother was a Shaman…"

Morgrag supplied, "And both were most likely incarnations of the Kaidar."

She slowly reached for the pen on Donatello's workbench. Finding some jargon-filled notes, she flipped the paper over and wrote down an address. Her expression passive, she stood and said, "This is where I'm staying."

Stepping away from the chair, she faced the rest of the room. Three five foot –she amended herself: five foot _two_ –turtles and a small pink blob looked at her expectantly.

"It was a pleasure meeting all of you, but I think I've had enough excitement for one night."

She walked to the door, then turned around to find everyone still staring at her. "Really, it has been fun. Keep in touch, okay?"

Receiving a nod or two, she continued out of the lab and out of the lair.

"I hope that I didn't upset her."

Mike smiled reassuringly at the Utrom. "Nah, don't worry about it Morgy. Probably just more than she's use to. Let's go out to the den- better seating."

They paraded into the other, larger room and found Splinter sitting motionless in his recliner. Knowing the ninja master, he was no doubt fully aware of what was going on. The turtles made themselves comfortable. Don and Mike were on the couch with Raph pacing behind it, and the Utrom had settled on the low hardwood table. They seemed to be waiting for Leo, whether it was subconscious or not. Splinter took the opportunity to reflect on the changes and adjustments that the family structure had endured over the year.

For their entire life, he had been training them to work together as a team. The master was exactly that: the teacher, the instructor, the leader –guiding his sons in all that they did. When they first became involved with the surface world, he played a vital role in their guidance. When the mousers had attacked, bringing chaos to an otherwise peaceful existence, they looked to their sensei to keep the family together. It was he who relocated the family. When the foot attacked Miss O'Niel's apartment, they looked to their master for guidance; he knew his son's strengths and weaknesses. When they sought revenge on the Shredder three months later, it was he who took charge. And it was Leonardo who stepped up.

"_I'll lead this one, Sensei."_

It was a proud moment for the old rat to see his eldest lead the family and defeat the Shredder. Even if that defeat was only temporary, the shift of responsibility was not. None of his sons knew of the guilt he harbored for placing such a burden on any of them, but it was something that had to be done. Splinter had been gradually weaning himself from his sons' more active involvements. The aged rat understood his mortality and realized that the four needed to be self-sustaining. They were quickly finding their own lives, and he would be there for them for as long as his own life would allow.

The master's reflections were interrupted by Donatello addressing the newcomer. "Somehow, I have a feeling that you didn't travel light-years to give a brief lesson in history."

The alien again seemed to nod. "You are right, Donatello; however, I believe that an explanation should wait until your fifth is here…"

By a stroke of timing, Leo chose that moment to walk in the door. Raphael looked up with an immediate expression of utter relief. It was soon covered by one of agitation. "Where the shell have you been?! _You're_ the one who imposed this house arrest, and now you're the hypocrite that-"

Leo held up his hands as a sign for the hotheaded turtle to stop. Shaking his head, Leo interjected, "There are more important matters to discuss right now…"

At that moment, his attention turned to the table where an Utrom sat watching the exchange. Taking his cue, the alien introduced himself. "Greetings. I am Morgrag. And you're right: there are more important matters to discuss. Grave maters. Ch'rell, or as you know him, the Shredder is returning to your planet."

Everyone but Leo wore a shocked expression. Mike commented, "But you guys banished him to some meteor belt or something, right?"

Morgrag elaborated, "Yes, we did. I was on a routine patrol of the Sh'zarr quadrant when I noticed a distinct absence of life anywhere near the ice world. The tyrant's death would need to be confirmed and reported, so I executed an extensive scan. He was not there, dead or alive. The scanners did pick up a combustible fuel trail leading away from that particular orbit. It would seem to me that an ally of some kind rescued Ch'rell and according to the path's trajectory, they are heading straight for this planet."

The turtles and their master seemed to digest the information and the Utrom continued. "I reported to our home world immediately. Because there is no substantial proof that Ch'rell is even alive, let alone on that starship, the council refuses to get involved. Never the less, I was informed of Utrom allies on this world that aided in the capture of Ch'rell in the first place. I was encouraged to locate you and give warning of the possible danger."

Splinter was the first to respond. "We thank you, Morgrag. If the Shredder is indeed returning, we will not be taken off-guard."

Leonardo spoke aloud, though the statement was directed at no one in particular. "Then Karai was telling the truth."

If the room's occupants were shocked by the news of the Shredder's possible return, then they were certainly unprepared for what was next: "Karai has offered us an alliance, and I told her that we would consider it."

The room burst into sound as everyone responded at once.

"Are ya crazy, Leo?"

"Are you out of your gourd, bro?"

"Is this Karai not Ch'rell's right hand?"

"Maybe we should think this through, Leo."

Leonardo's voice rose above the others as he demanded to be heard out. "Karai told me of the Shredder's return. She's agreed to withdraw the hit she has on us in return that we at least consider the possibilities…"

Morgrag didn't hear any more; he didn't need to. During the commotion, he made his way to the lair's entrance. Looking back, he saw the turtle in red waving his fist in their leader's face as the other two tried to talk at the same time. Their master looked on in a mix of horror and confusion. Noticing the absence of their guest, he glanced toward the door with an inquiring look. The Utrom had vanished.

Morgrag navigated the tunnels, searching for the familiar exit point that they had entered from. What were they thinking? If they were considering an alliance with Ch'rell and his underlings, then they were not going to be any good against the Utrom's most hated enemy.

He emerged from a pipeline that ran out to the river; he wasn't far from his fallen pod. With a mechanical arm, he pressed a button on his disk and waited for the communicator to transmit. It picked up a signal and the familiar voice of one of his superiors came through.

"Report."

Morgrag spoke with as much professional detachment that he could muster. "Sir, I found the ones that you sent me to locate. They have been warned of Ch'rell's return."

He didn't even bother with the technicality of whether or not it was proven –Morgrag was certain that it was more than a possibility at this point. His voice turned grave as he continued his report. "I think that our trust has been misplaced. These turtles are in fact in an alliance with Ch'rell's right hand-"

A shuriken embedded itself into the metal, causing a small explosion. The Utrom fell out of the disk as it crashed to the ground three feet away. A bone-chillingly canned voice growled, "Thank you for that bit of information."

Morgrag looked up in horror as a bladed gauntlet came down in one fatal swipe.

It was good to be back.

**X**

On the Utrom's home world, captain Quinzarr stared at the communication console as the frequency died, the cryptic message replaying in his mind.

_Our trust has been misplaced. These turtles are in fact in an alliance with Ch'rell-_

The lack of a signal could only mean one thing: the transmitting device had been destroyed. He could only imagine that the worst had occurred.

They could no longer afford non-aggression with Ch'rell. He had to convince the council to take more drastic and permanent measures against the tyrant and those who take up with him.

Even if that included the turtles…


	8. Arrows and Plans

Author's Notes: None.

Disclaimer: If it can be found on a store or supermarket shelf, it's not mine.

Rated for language, underage drinking, violence, and breakfast cereal death.

Equilibrium -Chapter Eight-  
Of Arrows and Plans

"Even your combined efforts are no match for my supreme skill! Resistance is futile. Give up now and I promise that your end v'ill be quick and merciful. Bow down before me and tremble at my name, for I am...Count Chocula!"

The brown cereal box was waved in a menacing manner by a three-fingered hand. Michaelangelo grabbed a pink box and changed his voice in pitch. "Arrrg! I FrankeinBerry and comrade, BooBerry will stop you! I have no blood in my veins and BooBerry have no veins. You no win!"

Mikey returned to the count's voice. "Ha! Foolish cereal v'ith your tantalizingly s'veet marshmallows...I do not need fangs to finish you!" With that, the brown box swooped down and visciously knocked the other two cereals off of the table and onto the floor. "Ah! The s'veet taste of victory!"

The box waved triumphantly in the air until a green hand snatched it away. Raphael pulled a dish from the cupbaord and poured himself a bowl of cereal.

"No! I am no match for za fierce Raphzarr!"

Don walked into the kitchen behind Raph, stooping to pick up the fallen combatants. Placing the pink box on the table, he emptied the contents of the other into a bowl for himself. Their daily training had just ended and the three of them sat around the table replenishing their energy supply. As per usual, Leonardo was bidding for extra practice that morning, giving the others a chance to reflect on the discussions -and arguments- from the night before. Raphael was the first to engage, "Can you believe that bonehead? And can you believe that we're actually going along with it?"

Dropping the character voices, Mikey replied, "Leo says that Karai's had a change of heart. I mean, another change of heart. Yeah. I mean, this is Karai we're talking about...when has she lied to us?"

The other two turtles stared at their brother and Don said, "Maybe you should leave the sarcasm to Raph."

The turtle in red snorted. "Mike's right though. Leo don't exactly have the best track record when it comes to character judgement. First he almost sided with the Shredder, then it was Karai, and now it's Karai again..."

It wasn't going to escalate into an argument; there had been plenty of that the night before. Then Raph had launched into it immediately after waking up that morning. This was followed by an extra long training session riddled with blindfolds and smacks of an elderly rat's walking stick. 'Exhaust your body and your mind will be free to flow.' Or something like that- Raph was never very good at regurgitating wisdom. None the less, practice kept them occupied throughout the afternoon and into the early evening. No, they weren't going to fight about it; Leo's logic was sound even if his trust was misplaced.

Of course, just because they were in agreement didn't mean that everyone liked the idea.

Still, Don spoke for their eldest brother. "Even if we don't put complete faith in her, Karai will obviously have valuable information, and we will need to exploit every advantage available to us. Not to mention the fact that it will be a lot easier to move about the city if she makes good on her deal and removes the contract."

"That's one of the things that I'm going to talk to her about tonight."

Leonardo stood in the doorway, a towel draped behind his neck. Recieving no response, he took an empty seat at the table and poured himself a bowl of cereal. Crunching over a mouthfull of chocolate marshmallows, Mike garggled, "Any word from that Morgrag dude?"

Leo shook his head- Master Splinter saw him leave the night before and they haven't heard from him since. It was possible that he simply returned to his homeworld. After all, he did deliver the message he was sent to relay. The blue-masked turtle commented, "I'll check the docks tonight and see if the pod is gone. He may have simply gone home."

Having scarfed down his meal, Donatello stood and took his bowl to the sink, speaking over the running water. "I can do that; I'll be out that way anyway." Recieving inquisitive looks, he elaborated, "I assume in light of the recent merc recall, the house arrest has been rescinded. I wanted to visit Professor Honeycutt- his time with the Utroms allowed him to develop and extensive scanning system that can reach beyond our atmosphere. If there's a starship heading in our direction, he should be able to at least locate it."

Leo nodded. "Goos idea, Don. But since when is the professor anywhere near the docks?"

The techno-turtle amended, "He's not. I also wanted to visit Kai and see how she's doing."

At this, Raph gave a low whistle and Mike joked, "What's wrong, the turtle wax just not cutting it anymore, huh Donnie?"

The staff-weilding turtle fought not to blush at his brother's comment. That sort of thought was the furthest from his mind, but count on Mike to be both suggestive and blunt at the same time. He corrected, "When the Mozeka activated last night, it triggered a pretty massive anxiety attack. I don't know if she had a chance to fully recover before Morgrag's entrance. Not everyone's used to the things that we just brush off as normal- last night seemed to be a little much for her. I just want to check to make sure that she's all right."

"Suuure..."

Even Leo wore a small smile as he nodded. "Then you check the docks. I'll head out in a few hours to find Karai."

X

He wasn't sure how much time was spent at Professor Honeycutt's; he only knew that it was well into the night when he found himself in Kai's apartment, cable wires in one hand, a rum and coke in the other.The room was a weekly rental, and the television bared obvious scars of abuse. Barely picking up one channel, it beckoned Donatello's repairative nature.

Repairative. Don snorted at the new word he had just created. Even with a buzz, crossing some wires in a common househould electronic took very little concentration. He mused on how he ended up in the slightly intoxicatd state he was in.

"So Don...I guess you're here to own up to your end of the bargain."

He had looked at her quizzically as she pulled out an ember-filled bottle and a more familiar liter of coke.

"What bargain?"

She didn't hesitate in pouring them both a glass. "And I quote, 'If this thing activates, I'll have that drink with you.' As I recall, the thing activated. You owe us both a little down time."

He took another sip from his glass, adjusting the harmonic frequency of the box. One drink turned into two and the second refilled as a third...he was pleasantly surprised at how well he handled the alcohol. He was far from drunk, but the buzz in his head was a pleasant sensation. It was fine so long as his thinking wasn't impaired. He proved this point by turning on the television set and smiling in triumph as a new channel came in loud and clear.

Kai clapped from her seat on the couch, a nearly empty glass resting by her feet. She didn't want to venture a trip back to the kitchen for fear that her guest would she that she had become slightly tipsy. She guessed that if he got the impression either of them had advanced to semi-drunk, then he would call it a night and return home. Though a little unsteady on her feet, it would take more than three drinks to get her drunk. Besdies, she was enjoying the company.

Donatello gave a mock bow at her praise and reclaimed his seat beside her on the couch. The young woman curled her legs up beneath her and commented, "You're quite handy, aren't you?"

Don smiled, using the armrest to recline a bit. "I've always been good with my hands."

Kai raised an eyebrow, feeling particularly playful. She decided to venture on neutral ground to see of the techno-turtle was receptive to such teasing. "Oh, is that so?"

Seeing her sly smile made him feel rather cheeky himself. Hell, how often did he get the chance at suggestive banter? Better to leave that one unanswered. "As a matter of a fact, yes. I've always been a...hands on type of person."

The brunette fought down the unexplainable joy at the fact that her new friend had decided to loosen up a bit. Unable to think of a come back, she picked up her glass and headed for the sink, hoping to buy herself some time. She was not about to be out-innuendoed by a teenage turtle that had admitted to never even being in a previous relationship. Her hips swayed a bit, and she suddenly recalled the little detail about being tipsy.

He watched her travel to the sink, her movements languid and her hips swaying slightly. She was otherwise steady with secure footing, but he couldn't help but to bring it up. "A little too much to drink?"

She winced despite the knowledge that it was coming. However, his voice hinted at teasing more than a reprimand, and she saw her opening to salvage her innuendo-ego. "I'm afraid that you're mistaken." She placed her glass in the sink and turned to face the relaxed turtle. "I always use a come-hither walk when in the company of a strapping young man. Or turtle."

It was his turn to arch an eyeridge. Letting a smile play on his lips, he raised both arms and folded them behind his head, reclining casually. "I didn't really catch the come-hither part. Care to do it again?"

Surprised was an understatement. It was the only banter he could think of, and he had expected for her to roll her eyes and cutt him off from the supply. Not walk back towards the couch in an even more sultry manner. The phrase, 'be careful what you wish for' came to mind.

He stared. It may have been rude. It may have been innapropriate. It may have been the Captain Morgan's. In any case, her deliberate movements and suggestive roll of curves was too pleasant a sight to look away from. He just had to stay ahead of her in the come back department, and it would all be in good fun. Teasing never hurt anyone. "Don't knock over my glass."

Focused on the way she walked, she had been neglecting the little detail of where she walked. She looked down just in time to avoid the obstical by hopping over it. Unfortunately, there wasn't enough room between the glass and the couch to make a safe landing, especially with her impaired reflexes. Don instinctively reached out to catch her as she fell and guided her safely into his lap. She was eye level now, her face flushed with the embarrassment of losing her blalance. She expected to find him laughing at her or ready to offer a sarcastic reprimand, but found only a thoughtful look in his expressive eyes. Hesitantly, she leaned foward, pressing her lips to his beak. Moments ticked by without response and she withdrew, uncertain as to what she had expected. His eyes were still on her, darker and more reflective; but whatever he was thinking remained hidden in that darkness.

His hand cupped the back of her head and he pulled her foward, their lips meeting once again.

X

He was being followed.

Dropping into the dark alley, his bare feet came into contact with the cool concrete. He padded silently toward the fire escape, scanning the ledges for signs of his pursuer. Seeing no one, he flipped lightly to the second story railing and ducked into a broken window. The vacant studio served not as a sanctum, but rather, as a passageway. Slipping out of another window, he traveled the second story ledge until it came within seven feet of the next building. Leo searched the area once again for signs of another, then leapt gracefully onto the opposite window ledge. He climbed up to the top and while concealing himself in shadow, he began his journey across the roof.

He was still being followed.

What would make him say that after finding no signs of pursuit and spotting no body in the darkness? It could have been the footsteps too soft to reach his ears, or the shadow that was darker than the absence of light. It could have been a lifetime of training or borderline psychotic paranoia- they were both pretty much one and the same. In any case, his pursuer was highly skilled, tailing him without sound or trace. A true ninja who was both silent and deadly.

"Good evening, Karai."

The young woman stepped from behind the roof's entrance shack of the same building; she had been closer than he had guessed. Without a word, she approached the turtle and withdrew a roll of papers from her armour, handing them to him. "We've made some improvements on our security systems since your last...visit. These are the updated schematics and new security protocols."

She gave no further greeting, so Leo prompted, "Do you enjoy following me through the city?"

She smirked as he tucked the papers into his belt. "And if I do?"

He wasn't exactly sure how to take that. Her voice was without malice or spite, just...challenge. On anyone else, Leo would have seen it as only that; on Karai, a challenge almost seemed like her way of being playful.

A playful Karai?

He must have hit his head on the dojo floor pretty hard- or perhaps it was the result of too many smacks with Master Splinter's walking stick during practice. He chuckled, shaking his head at the thought.

"What do you find so amusing, Leonardo-san?"

San? She was beginning to speak to him more as a person and less like an obstical. Leo made a quick recovery and decided to test his challenge theory. "I was just thinking...if you enjoy following me around the city so much, perhaps you should take lighter steps."

Her eyes flashed and he had only a moment to wonder if he had pushed the wrong buttons before she responded, "And you think that you can best me, Leonardo?"

He paused a moment, putting on a show of contemplation. "It would take great skill to match, let alone best you, Karai." She smiled smugly as his words, but he wasn't finished. "And I am more than capable."

She arched an eyebrow in response and raised a challenging tone. "Care to test that proclaimation?" He didn't get a chance to reply before she fell back into the shadows with a smile. Not a smirk, a sneer, or a scowl; but a real smile that seemed more invite than insult. He wasted no time in trailing the adept ninja.

Over a span of fifteen minutes, she led him over alleyways, through abandoned buildings, up fire escapes, and almost lost him at the corner of 8th and Center. Almost. Noticing an open window near the top floor, he quickly scaled to the roof and watched the perimeter for any sign of movement. Someone's laundry waved in the breeze, but everything else was still in the clear night.

He couldn't lose her, not after boasting like he had. They were engaged in something other than combat, and he liked it. He didn't want to blow it. That's when something caught his eye by the clothesline. Clever, very clever; knowing that he would dismiss the movement of the hanging laundry, she used it to camaflouge her own travel. While she took precarious steps across the rooftop, Leo guessed her next move and was sure to be on the next building when she landed.

Realizing that she was no longer alone, she attempted a retreat, back tracking the way she had come. Her persuer was too quick, and she soon found herself between a rock and a hard place. The rock being the roof's access door, and the hard palce- Leonardo's body.

She had turned to perform a flip seconds before contact so her back had been pushed against the door, luckily avoiding the knob. That also meant that her front was pressed firmly to Leonardo's plastron- or was it the other way around? In any case, her wrists were held above her head by his own hands and his weight kept her from budging. His face was an inch from her hair and his breathing was slightly ragged from the exertion when he said, "I believe I bested you."

He felt as though he should be slapped, though he really hadn't done anything. They were playing catch me if you can, and he did. The only things that were inappropriate were his thoughts- surely she would rescind the truce and try to kill him if only she knew what was going through his head. He wondered briefly if he had been holding her pinned for longer than was called for.

With a grunt, Karai wrapped her legs around his waist and gave a twist, tryring to throw him. She had no leverage and his stance was strong; all that came of it was Leonardo pressing against her more firmly and a shortness of breath on her part.

His pulse sped and his thoughts raced. Karai's small form was crushed beneath his body, completely at his mercy, with her thighs locked around his waist...

This could lead nowhere but to trouble. He withdrew his face from by her ear and began to pull away, but was stopped by Karai's legs pulling him closer. Still pressed against her, he stared at her confused and hopeful and not even sure what he was feeling anymore.

Her arms tugged at his grip as she tried to lean foward, her lips nearly brushing his own. He had forgotten how to breathe for a moment as he moved in to meet her, the soft skin of her lips playing along his beak. Tentative for only a minute, her thighs tightened around him and their mouths became more urgent. Keeping one large hand over her wrists, the other traveled down her arm and along her side, coming to rest in a grip on the curve of her hip. Breaking from the near violent kissing, he lowered his head to her neck, running his tongue over her exposed collarbone. She gasped and squirmed, searching for something to do with her mouth. They both jumped at the urgent beeping that sounded from somewhere on the woman's body. Breathless, she spoke with a hint of panic, "The signal. He's here."

Leo didn't have to ask who she was referring to; it could only have been one person. He released her and took a few extra steps back- how far would they have gone if it weren't for the interruption? If it were anyone but that Shredder, he'd be grateful. Or would he? It was all too much, too fast, and there were more pressing things to worry about.

"I have to go."

She was both flushed and pale- an interesting combination. She appeared to be pushing her own conflicts aside as well, and in no time at all she wore a mask of indifference. It was a look perfected over years of training. It had to be perfect; she was about to meet with a deadly force that she was betraying at that very moment. Alone.

"We have a rondevu point set up and his old allies will no doubt be with him. All I know is that they are aliens of strength and weaponry, but not so much intelligence."

She walked to the building's ledge and prepared to jump, the wind catching her hair and blowing it across her carefully collected face. Leonardo spoke in a firm tone, but softer than a command. "Be careful."

She gave only a nod before leaping into the darkness.

She didn't say where the rondevu point was, most likely due to the fact that she didn't want to be followed. Would he have gone? Yes. Was that part of the plan? No. He needed to push any feelings he may or may not have for her into the dark recesses of his mind. He couldn't allow himself to become distracted and stray from their tedious planning.

He easily dodged an arrow as it embedded itself into the door by his side. In a flash, his katana were drawn, but there were no signs of an enemy. Eyeing the projectile, he noticed a piece of paper secured to the arrow's shaft. What was it with airmail messages these days? He sheathed one of the swords and tried to recall if Karai was carrying a bow or not. She may not have wanted to risk another face to face meeting. He retrieved the note and his veins turned to ice.

'Saki Tower

If you dare to witness the consequences of trechery'

So much for the plan.

X

Hopefully this illuminates the truth of their alleged alliance, and how the individuals in our present company are indeed interconnected with ourselves.

But enough interruptions. We are gathered here for a reason and it has yet to reach a conclusion. 


	9. Our Life, The Movie

**Equilibrium**  
_Our Life, The Movie_

* * *

"Ain't it convenient that she needs rescuing from a stronghold that she just gave you access codes to? It's like opening the door and saying, 'come get me.' You know it's a trap, Leo. And if ya don't, I'm telling you now."

Raphael had his finger pressed to Leo's chest as he spoke, punctuating his words. The turtle in blue waved his brother off and continued his trek of pacing back and forth behind the couch. Master Splinter sat, quietly sipping his tea and looking thoughtful in his chair. Michaelangelo watched his siblings from his perch on the couch's armrest. Noticing the absence of a familiar placated energy, he commented, "Shouldn't Don have been back by now?"

Step, step, step, step, turn. Step, step, step, step, turn.

Leo would eye the clock every round he made. "That's what I'm worried about. Do you have your shell-cell, Mike?"

The orange-clad ninja reached into his belt and retrieved the oval device. He then tossed it to his concerned brother; Mike knew better than to interrupt Don when he was at April's house. He sure as shell wasn't about to bother him while he was at Kai's. Even if nothing develops, it was about giving a guy his chances.

Leonardo caught the object and dialed Don's number. He continued to pace for about twenty seconds, then stopped with an expression of pure relief. "Where are you? You sound like you just woke up."

The others listened to the only side of the conversation that they could hear.

"Well, something came up; we need you back at the lair." Leo paused, listening to the other end. "Oh, and did the professor find anything?" Another pause, this one considerably longer than the ones before it. "Then why don't you stop there on the way home? He's probably received some kind of results from the scan by now."

Truth was, Leonardo had no clue how long it took for particular energy signatures to travel through space, bounce back, and be interpreted. But he was hoping for something useful.

'All right. See you soon."

He closed the device and dropped it back into Mike's lap. "He's on his way." Raph looked as if he was going to launch into another argument, but Leo held his hands up to stop him. "We should wait until Don gets here, so that he's in on everything."

Raphael was frustrated- why was he the only one around here that was able to see reason? He wanted to drive his point home, but knew by the look on his brother's face that words would fall on deaf ears. Not that it's ever stopped him before. Unable to keep the agitation from his voice, he demanded, "An' just what are we supposed to do until he shows, then? Sit around with our thumbs up or a-"

"Raphael!" The aged rat interrupted his son before such foul language could be spoken. "This is the perfect opportunity to clear the mind and look at all of the facts, some of which our emotions may block from sight. We should all meditate on the recent events so that we are better prepared to take the appropriate actions."

Leonardo bowed in a gesture of respect toward his master. "Yes, Sensei. That's an excellent idea."

Mike watched as his brother in blue left for his room, no doubt to do just what Splinter had suggested. Raph muttered something akin to 'yeah, meditate' before locking himself in his own room. The sounds of a punching bag being pummeled was soon heard. The turtle in orange looked at his master, realizing that he was the only one that hadn't at least pretended to comply. He reached beside himself to pull out a set of headphones and a walkman.

"What? I'm clearing my mind..."

Splinter didn't doubt that.

**

* * *

**

Captain Quinzarr stood before the high council, waiting for their decree.

Six utroms sat on their respective pedestals, communing on the matter at hand. One could almost hear the buzz of telepathic exchange. The captain shifted his tentacles restlessly, then schooled himself into reverent stillness. The buzzing ceased, and the council spoke as one.

_"Ch'rel must be stopped; you are advised to use lethal force."_

Although pleased by their decision, Quinzarr wanted complete clarification. "And does this extend to those in his liege, such as the mutant turtles?"  
_  
__"If necessary."_

**

* * *

**

Donatello addressed the lair's occupants. "Well guys, there's good news and bad news."

Leatherhead was inserting a disk into Don's computer as the others began to gather around the two. Mike ventured a guess, "Is the good news the fact that LH is going to help us storm the tower? Y'know...to rescue Karai on Leo's orders and all."

It was clear that neither Mike nor Raph agreed with their brother's rash decision. Once briefed, Don and their crocodilian friend had a suspicious lack of comments on the matter. Leatherhead cleared his throat to reply to the young ninja's comment. "It is, if you see it as such, Michaelangelo; however, my reasons have nothing to do with Karai."

An exchange of quizzical looks floated around the room until all eyes came to rest on Donatello. Splinter, wishing for some clarity himself, addressed his intellectual student. "Then, my son, what is the good news you spoke of?"

Don's voice carried over the sound of Leatherhead's furious typing. "The good news, is that professor Honeycut's scanner works brilliantly. He was able to utilize the reciprocal energy to not only locate the starship, but to also run an analysis on its technology so that we're better informed as to the resources old Shredhead has at his disposal."

That was indeed good news, right? The saying, 'know yourself, know your enemy, and you will know victory' came to Leo's mind. Afraid to hear it, but unable to avoid it, the turtle in blue asked the inevitable. "What's the bad news?"

A series of code began to run across the monitor's screen and Leatherhead replied without looking up. "The bad news, my friend, would be our findings. I'm downloading a copy of the scan's result and it's not good."

Raphael hated suspense.

He also hated bugs, thugs, authority, bad guys that won't stay dead or down, being mocked, appearing weak, cages, oatmeal, and curfew. But to be unnecessarily lead into suspense about something terrible when it could just be said and done...well, that came in at a close tenth on the list. He twirled his sai in agitation. "Then out with it already!"

The crocodile adjusted the glasses on his snout as he looked over the codes. Michaelangelo's knee bounced up and down from his seat on the couch and everyone's attention was on the two mutants gathered around the computer screen. Leatherhead elaborated, "It would seem that the results indicate an exponential source of harmonic frequencies that, while innocuous in it's current state, are nonetheless degenerative on an atomic level. Such a state of energy would require but a minuscule form of stimuli to become active."

Mike asked the question that everyone knew he would. "Huh?"

Years of having to reword his own thoughts in order to relate to his brothers came in handy as Don translated, "There's a weapon of incredible destruction on that starship. Judging by the signature it's giving off, it's activated and just waiting for the trigger. The trigger could be anything from a timer, to remote activation by the Shredder."

Leatherhead interjected, "It's difficult to measure the device's power in its current state, but the potential ranges from planetary destruction to severe overkill. Don't expect anything less than complete annihilation."

Michaelangelo's knee came to a sudden stop. Leatherhead had always been the drama queen. He had the whole Frankenstein complex down pat; despite his high character and complexities, he still considered himself a monster. Not much else they could do for the guy but be there for him while he worked things out. Hopefully his love for drama was carrying over to the current situation, because complete annihilation was never a good thing to hear. Just to be sure, Mike did what he usually does: he voiced his thoughts.

"So you're saying that old tin-grin's got a giant ray gun pointed at Earth? I thought that he wanted to enslave the planet, not destroy it..."

Don interrupted, "He does seem prone to holding grudges, though. He wants to destroy the Utrom's planet- his own homeworld -I don't think he'll lose any sleep over Earth."

Raph was also doubtful. "Then why not do it already? Why would he be on the planet that he plans to destroy?"

Don supplied the somewhat repetitive answer while clicking the mouse over his friend's shoulder. "The grudge, Raph. His every action here on Earth seemed to be fueled by vengeance of some kind. Shell, he created the foot centuries ago in order to track down and destroy the Utroms. We're only his latest targets. I'm guessing that his vindictive nature won't let him rest until he settle matters personally. Those 'matters', of course, being us." He thought for a moment before adding, "And Karai as well, if she was telling the truth."

The ninja in orange waved his arm in the air to bring everyone's attention back to himself. "Hello! Giant ray gun pointed at Earth because of one guy's personal vendetta; can anyone else say B-rated sci-fi movie material? Isn't it all a little cliche...a little far fetched?"

Leonardo, who had been listening in quiet contemplation, responded. "It's about as far fetched as being transported to a galaxy lightyears from our own where many of its diverse inhabitants speak English. Or as cliche as an invasion of aliens that despite their distant and unrelated origins, resemble our own extinct triceratops- even in name. We seem to encounter a lot of recycled 'B-rated material,' but that's our life. We should come to expect this sort of thing by now...especially when the Shredder is involved."

Raph took to leaning against the wall, his sai having been returned to his belt. "So this is it. It's not about Karai anymore, it's about survival."

Leo thought to remind his brother that in neutralizing the threat, they would still be saving Karai. But seeing everyone on the same page, this was an instance where he knew the importance of picking his battles. Letting it go, he switched to tactical mode; they needed a plan of action, and they needed it quickly.

**

* * *

**

"Yo, April. It's Mike. Listen, there's something going down tonight, so we're going to have to cancel the pizza and movies. But you and Casey should definitely stay in and rent the flicks anyway, y'know?"

The turtle sat in the kitchen, wincing at the earpiece as the interrogation began. They had all agreed that with the access codes and updated schematics, there was no reason to involve and endanger their friends. At the same time, if anything were to happen to the Hamato clan, they didn't want to simply disappear off the face of the Earth. At least, not to their closest friends.

"Just trust me April- everything's fine. It's just a little skirmish that we can handle. We just worry about you being recognized from associating with us."

Not that being indoors would protect their friends if they were to fail...

"Oh, Leo's calling my name. I'll explain later, promise. Gotta go, bye!"

_Click_

Putting the shell-cell away, he folded his arms on the table and dropped his head into them. A deep sigh escaped him as a swirl of thoughts began a kaleidoscopic dance in his mind. They say that every teenager feels as if the weight of the world were on their shoulders. Over the past two years, Mike had come to believe that there was something...different...about his family. There were the obvious things that made it unconventional of course, but he felt as if there was something more.

Why? Why were they always fighting for their lives, teetering on the edge of devastation? They were just a family; individuals who had their own faults and dreams, yet life kept thrusting on responsibilities that should belong to no teenager. Mike knew that luck had been their side so far, but it was going to catch up to them one day. Don won't have the answer, Raph won't be strong enough, Leo won't be perfect, or he...well, Mike didn't like to dwell on the possibilities.

"That should just about meet my brooding quota for the month."

With that, he left the kitchen to live out the day at hand.

* * *

Donatello was making a call, himself.

"Kai, it's Don."

Even if they hadn't known her long enough to develop a known association, he felt obligated to contact her before something as big as attempting to neutralize a planetary threat. Call him old-fashioned.

Her voice was somewhat hesitant on the other end. "Hi Don..."

He could understand the awkwardness. They had been about as intimate as two people could be. The fact that he had to leave so abruptly did nothing to help matters. "I'm sorry about leaving like I did, but it was an emergency. Trust me when I say that I wanted to stay and talk- it all happened so quickly."

She interrupted, "I wanted to talk to you about that."

He flinched mentally. He knew that they had moved too quickly. Way too quickly. In all reality, they hardly knew one another, but they obviously had something. Right? He had shared a part of himself that no one had ever seen; could he really chalk it up to a youthful mistake?

Her voice became more confident and he was suddenly afraid to hear it. "I think we both had too much to drink..."

That was a lie, and she knew it. "We had the same amount, Kai. We were discussing the implications of active thought forms not ten minutes before you fell into my lap."

"That was an accident!"

He couldn't believe what he was hearing. If she was going to get defensive, so was he. They were both equally responsible for their actions, and he wasn't about to let her dismiss it. "And everything that followed, were those involuntary reflexes as well?"

The line was silent for several moments; it seemed as if neither had anything more to say on the topic. Don's flat tone broke the extended pause, "I believe this is where we hang up."

"Wait, Don." Her voice was softer, lacking conviction. He recognized it to mean that she was searching for the right words. "It's just...aliens, mutants, supernatural abilities and starships. I'm in way over my head here, and I'm really not prepared to involve myself in something so abnormal."

_Abnormal_

Later, he would reflect on it and realize that he should have hung up and left it at that. But it wasn't his mind that was wounded.

"You don't even realize how self-centered and conceited you are, do you? 'You shouldn't involve yourself.' Not only are you involved, but you involved me in this little self-searching of yours. I should have seen it: you completely disregarded the safety of potential thousands because you didn't want to get your hands dirty with the Mozeka. You freaked out over the Utrom because he threatened your personal view of the world, wrapped up in your own comfortable ignorance. You claim to be unprepared, and you couldn't be more right. So just screw your eyes tight and dismiss reality. You'll be doing the world -and those of us who live in it -a favor."

_Click_


End file.
